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Attitudes toward children: Distinguishing affection and stress
Lukas J Wolf1, Vlad Costin2,3, Marina Iosifyan1,4
1Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Journal of Personality
|June 3, 2023
Summary
Adults
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Adults exhibit a wide range of behaviors towards children, from supportive to abusive.
- The psychological factors influencing this variability remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structure of adult attitudes towards children.
- To identify psychological factors underlying adult-child interactions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of ten studies involving 4702 participants.
- Examination of the factor structure of adult descriptions of children (babies, toddlers, school-age).
- Correlation of identified factors with external variables.
Main Results:
- Two primary factors emerged: affection and stress.
- This structure is consistent across the UK, US, and South Africa.
- Affection is linked to positive emotions and behaviors, while stress is associated with negative emotions and self-concern.
- These factors predict experiences during COVID-19 lockdown and mental visualizations of children.
Conclusions:
- Findings provide novel insights into adult social cognition.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for adult-child relationships and child well-being.
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