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Infant emotionality, parenting, and 3-year inhibition: exploring stability and lawful discontinuity in a male sample
1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USA.
Insights
Infant temperament, specifically high negativity and low positivity, predicts later childhood inhibition. Supportive parenting, characterized by sensitivity and low intrusiveness, also contributes to inhibition, particularly in negative infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Childhood inhibition is a significant developmental outcome.
- Understanding early temperament and parenting influences is crucial for predicting inhibition.
- Previous research has not fully distinguished the roles of positive and negative infant emotionality or maternal and paternal parenting styles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively examine temperament and parenting antecedents of childhood inhibition.
- To investigate the differential impact of mothering and fathering on inhibition.
- To explore the interplay between infant emotionality and parenting in predicting inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 125 firstborn boys.
- Temperament assessed at 12-13 months.
- Mothering and fathering behaviors assessed at 15, 21, 27, and 33 months; inhibition assessed at 3 years.
Main Results:
- High infant negativity and low positivity predicted higher levels of inhibition at age 3.
- Supportive parenting (high sensitivity, low intrusiveness) was associated with increased inhibition.
- Parenting influence on inhibition was more pronounced in infants with high negative emotionality.
Conclusions:
- Infant negative emotionality and supportive parenting are key predictors of childhood inhibition.
- Distinguishing between positive and negative infant emotionality is vital.
- Both mothering and fathering play significant roles in shaping child inhibition.
Abstract:
In this study, the authors examine temperament (12-13 months) and mothering and fathering (15, 21, 27, 33 months) antecedents of inhibition of children at age 3 years prospectively in a sample of 125 firstborn boys and retrospectively in only the most and least inhibited children. High negativity coupled with low positivity in infancy predicted high inhibition, as did parenting that was supportive (e.g., high sensitivity, low intrusiveness). Parenting appeared more influential in the case of children who were highly negative as infants. The importance of distinguishing positive and negative emotionality in infancy and of studying mothering and fathering are discussed.