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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

Reciprocal negative affect in parent-child interactions and children's peer competency

J L Carson1, R D Parke

  • 1University of California, Riverside, USA.

Child Development
|October 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Fathers responding negatively to their child's negative emotions during play had children with poorer peer skills, including less sharing and more aggression. This highlights the impact of parental emotional responses on early social development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies
  • Social Interaction

Background:

  • Preschool children's peer competency is crucial for social development.
  • Parent-child interactions, particularly during play, shape children's social behaviors.
  • Understanding the link between parental emotional responses and child social skills is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between preschool children's peer competency and reciprocal negative affect displays during parent-child physical play.
  • To investigate how fathers' emotional responses to their children's negative affect influence children's social behavior with peers.

Main Methods:

  • Teacher ratings of peer competency were collected.
  • 41 families participated in an "hand game" physical play observation.
  • Interactions were coded second-by-second for affect displays using a 12-code system.

Main Results:

  • Fathers who responded to children's negative affect with their own negative affect had children who displayed less sharing.
  • Children of fathers with reciprocal negative affect responses showed increased aggression.
  • These children also exhibited higher levels of social avoidance.

Conclusions:

  • Parental emotional regulation during play significantly impacts child peer competence.
  • Reciprocal negative affect between fathers and children is associated with negative social outcomes for the child.
  • Findings inform theories on family-peer relationship dynamics and early social skill development.

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