Predicting children's emotion regulation behaviors from maternal emotion socialization and vagal suppression

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Nicole E. Brown (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Susan Calkins

Abstract: The relation between early maternal emotion socialization and children's emotion regulation behaviors were examined across a short-term longitudinal study. Participants were 196 children with data collected at age 3.5 and 4.5-years-old. It was hypothesized that children's vagal suppression at age 4.5 would partially mediate the association between maternal emotion socialization and children's emotion regulation behaviors. To assess maternal emotion socialization, mothers completed the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions (CCNES) questionnaire and a supportive and non-supportive aggregate were created. To assess children's emotion regulation behaviors mothers completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) and trained research assistants coded a laboratory frustration task for observed emotion regulation behaviors. Results indicate that emotion socialization did not predict vagal suppression or emotion regulation behaviors. Further, vagal suppression was not associated with emotion regulation behaviors. Thus, a mediation effect was not present. Results are discussed in terms of directions for future research.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2010
Keywords
Development, Emotion Regulation, Emotion Socialization, Physiological, Preschool, Vagal Suppression
Subjects
Mother and child $x Psychological aspects.
Emotions in children $x Physiological aspects.
Child psychology.
Psychophysiology.

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