Keep it to yourself? Parent emotion suppression influences physiological linkage and interaction behavior

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Parental behaviors significantly shape children's emotional development and stress responses.
• Understanding the transmission of parental stress to children is crucial for child well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the transmission of acute parental stress responses to children aged 7-11.
• To examine the effects of parental emotional suppression on parent-child physiological stress and interaction behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Parents underwent a laboratory stressor before reuniting with their children.
• Parents were randomized to either suppress emotions or act naturally (control).
• Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responses and interaction behaviors were measured during dyadic tasks.

Main Results:

• Mothers' emotion suppression influenced their children's SNS responses.
• Fathers' emotion suppression was influenced by their children's SNS responses.
• Dyads with suppressing parents exhibited reduced warmth and engagement compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Parental emotion regulation strategies directly impact parent-child stress transmission.
• Emotional suppression by parents can negatively affect the quality of parent-child interactions.
• Findings highlight the importance of parental emotional regulation for children's social-emotional development.