Linking Maternal Warmth and Responsiveness to Children's Self‐regulation

Abstract

The present study demonstrated that a more differentiated view of positive parenting practices is necessary in the study of children's acquisition of self-regulation. Here, the unique contributions of maternal warmth and responsiveness to distress to children's self-regulation were tested in a sample of 102 German mothers and their kindergarten children (51 girls and 51 boys). Behavior regulation and internalization of rules of conduct were examined as specific components of children's self-regulation. As expected, maternal warmth was positively related to the child's behavior regulation. Responsiveness to distress was positively linked to the child's internalization of rules of conduct. No significant interactions between maternal parenting and either the child's gender or effortful control were found. The results are discussed with regard to the unique functions that different parenting practices have for children's self-regulation. Page 1 of 35Social Development 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Parenting practice and children's self-regulation 1 Linking maternal warmth and responsiveness to children's self-regulationLearning to effectively self-regulate one's own behavior in accordance with social standards is critical to children's development. In the literature, various parenting practices that promote this process have been identified (e.g., Chen, Lui, & Li, 2000;Friedlmeier & Trommsdorff, 1999; Jones et al., 2008). There is a growing body of empirical evidence that details the extent to which a specific parenting practice has a unique effect on a specific developmental outcome (see e.g., Davidov & Grusec, 2006; Jones et al., 2008;Mize & Pettit, 1997). However, studies reporting functionally different effects involving positive parenting practices in non-American samples are scarce. Moreover, it has been pointed out that considerable differences exist between the US and European cultures, for instance, regarding parents' naïve theories of child development and socialization goals (Harkness, Super, & van Tiejen, 2000; Keller et al., 2006). Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to clarify the association of two aspects of positive parenting with two types of children's selfregulation in a German sample of kindergarten children. Positive parenting includes behaviors such as support, nurturance, and warm and appropriate discipline which promote a positive parent-child relationship (e.g., Tildesley & Andrews, 2008). Specifically, we investigated maternal warmth and responsiveness to distress in relation to children's behavior regulation in a delay task and children's internalization of rules of conduct. Moreover, the effects of children's gender and temperament on the relations between positive parenting and children's self-regulation were investigated as previous research has shown that children...

Child Vocabulary, Maternal Behavior, and Inhibitory Control Development Among Spanish-Speaking Children

“…It is surprising that we did not find support for an association between maternal sensitivity and inhibitory control in the current study, as a body of previous research has found such an association (Brophy-Herb et al, 2012; Lengua et al, 2007; NICHD ECCRN, 2005b; Spinrad et al, 2012; von Suchodoletz, Trommsdorff, & Heikamp, 2011). There may be a number of reasons for this.…”

A transactional analysis of the relation between maternal sensitivity and child vagal regulation.

“…Caregiver sensitivity, characterized by promptly responding to and correctly interpreting children’s cues (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978), is critical for the reduction of young children’s distress in emotionally arousing situations; caregivers who are more responsive to their children’s negative emotions may influence their children’s experience of negative emotions and create a context in which children are able to develop, employ, and practice the ability to modulate arousal (Gianino & Tronick, 1988; Kopp, 1989). A number of studies have demonstrated the influence of sensitive and supportive parenting on behavioral indices of children’s regulation and negative reactivity (e.g., Rubin, Burgess, Dwyer, & Hastings, 2003; von Suchodoletz, Trommosdoff, & Heikamp, 2011). However, fewer studies have assessed the association between parenting and physiological indices of temperament, and less is known regarding the mechanisms through which this effect takes place.…”

Maternal warm responsiveness and negativity following traumatic brain injury in young children.

“…In particular, parental warmth and responsiveness, defined as consistent, prompt, contingent, and appropriate reactions to the child that are supportive in quality (Bornstein, Tamis-Lemonda, Hahn, & Haynes, 2008; Landry et al, 2012; Landry, Smith, Swank, Assel, & Vellet, 2001), has been linked to behavioral regulation, compliance, and a reduced incidence of externalizing behaviors (Jones et al, 2008; Jennings et al, 2008; Rothbaum & Weisz, 1994; von Suchodoletz, Trommsdorff, & Heikamp, 2011; Wahler & Meginnis, 1997). Parental warmth might also serve as a protective factor in the presence of familial stressors.…”