Maternal coping and emotion regulation processes are differentially associated with dynamic mother-child affect...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Maternal coping and emotion regulation (ER) are crucial for parent-child relationships.
• Limited understanding exists on how these maternal factors influence dynamic mother-child affect expression.
• This dynamic affect expression is foundational for socioemotional development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between maternal coping and ER strategies and mother-child affect expression dynamics.
• Investigate associations with transitions, dispersion, and shared positive/negative affect duration.

Main Methods:

• 80 mother-dyad pairs (children aged ~6 years) participated.
• Mothers self-reported coping and ER strategies.
• Dyads completed a stress task, with affect expression microcoded and analyzed using state space grids.

Main Results:

• Approach coping was linked to fewer affect transitions, less negative affect, and reduced dispersion.
• Cognitive reappraisal showed a marginal association with higher dyadic dispersion.
• Emotional suppression correlated with higher dispersion and marginally greater transitions.
• Neither coping nor ER related to shared positive affect duration.

Conclusions:

• Maternal coping and ER differentially predict mother-child dynamic affect expression.
• These findings underscore the significance of maternal psychological processes in early school-age affect dynamics.
• Understanding these links is vital for supporting children's socioemotional development.