Longitudinal Associations Between Parenting and Child Big Five Personality Traits

Abstract

The goal of this research was to explore the relationships between four parenting dimensions (academic involvement, structure, cultural stimulation, and goals) and child personality development. Many theories, such as social learning, attachment theory, and the psychological resources principle assume that parenting practices influence child personality development. Most of past research on the associations between parenting and child Big Five traits specifically has used cross-sectional data. The few longitudinal studies that examined these associations found small relations between parenting and child personality. We extended this research by examining the long-term relations between four underexplored parenting dimensions and child Big Five personality traits using bivariate latent growth models in a large longitudinal dataset (N = 3,880). Results from growth models revealed a preponderance of null relations between these parenting measures and child personality, especially between changes in parenting and changes in child personality. In general, the observed associations between parenting and child Big Five personality were comparable in magnitude to the association between factors such as SES and birth order, and child personality—that is, small. The small associations between environmental factors and personality suggest that personality development in childhood and adolescence may be driven by multiple factors, each of which makes a small contribution.

Intergenerational continuity of loneliness and potential mechanisms: Young Finns Multigenerational Study

“…It has been shown that low socioeconomic status and living in a socioeconomically deprived neighborhood are both associated with more frequent experiences of loneliness and social isolation 32 . Offspring temperament may also be among the potential mediators in the intergenerational transmission of social interaction patterns and relationship qualities, given that parenting is known to predict the temperament and personality of offspring 33 – 35 . The most prominent temperament characteristic that may affect loneliness is sociability, referring to the degree to which a child is comfortable with and approaches new people and new situations as opposed to being shy, withdrawn or reserved 36 .…”