Maternal Sensitivity and Responsiveness, Limit-Setting Style, and Relationship History in the Transition to Toddlerhood

Abstract

During the transition of their children to toddlerhood, mothers must learn to adapt their behaviors in a period of marked developmental change. Maternal sensitivity and responsiveness were examined across interactions with varying levels of control-saliency over children at 12 months. Mothers were significantly less sensitive as a group in more control-salient interactions (teaching task, toy clean-up, and limit-setting), than in less control-salient interactions (play and snack). Mothers' sensitivity and responsiveness, and their perceived relationship history in their own families of origin, also were related to their use of limit-setting strategies. Mothers who were less sensitive and responsive, and who reported more negative relationship histories, displayed power-based limit-setting strategies. In contrast, higher levels of maternal sensitivity and responsiveness and more positive relationship histories were associated with teaching-based limit-setting styles.

Maternal limit setting during toddlerhood, delay of gratification, and behavior problems at age five

“…Although they were clear about the limit or prohibited behavior, they typically did not explain or help the child with developmentally appropriate distractions toward engaging in other activity, were not sensitively responsive to the child's goals, emotional distress, or emotional communications during limit setting, and did not tend to offer reasoning strategies. By contrast, the indirect limit-setting pattern involved very few commands and little reasoning, and thus little clarity about the limit, but these mothers were highly responsive (LeCuyer-Maus, 2000) and engaged in significant distraction with their toddlers. At 12 months, this limit-setting pattern appeared to match a sensorimotor developmental level common at that age.…”

“…Children whose mothers were indirect at 24 and 36 months, however, had significantly less developed self-concept and social competence at three years ; their trajectory did not appear positive. However, earlier findings of high levels of sensitive responsiveness in these mothers (LeCuyer-Maus, 2000) suggested their children might, in fact, internalize or develop some capacity for self-regulation.…”

“…Detailed descriptions of the coding scheme, reliability, and validity have been reported elsewhere (LeCuyer-Maus, 2000;. Toddler behavior also was tallied and classified into one of four patterns of toddler responses to limits.…”

“…Parental socialization strategies are linked with the development of self-regulation, including directive, power-related control strategies such as commands and physical directs, and less directive, nonintrusive strategies such as distractions, guidance and reasoning, and maternal sensitive responsiveness (Belsky, Woodworth, & Crnic, 1996;Crockenberg & Litman, 1990;Greenberg & Speltz, 1988;Kopp, 1982;LeCuyer-Maus, 2000;Lytton, 1977;Maccoby & Martin, 1983;Reid, O'Leary, & Wolff, 1994;Stayton, Hogan, & Ainsworth, 1971;Vyt, 1989). In toddlerhood, maternal limit setting becomes crucial for child safety as toddlers develop autonomy and self-assertion, and more actively explore the physical and social environment.…”

“…It was apparent that the external control provided by power-based mothers was not internalized by their children. Power-based mothers relied on verbal commands and physical restraint or directives to control their children's behavior and engender their compliance, and were found to be generally insensitive across settings (LeCuyer-Maus, 2000). Comparing the power-based style, linked to diminished ability for delay of gratification, with the indirect and teaching-based limit-setting styles, linked to significantly longer delay times, the differences may stem from the lack of sensitive distraction inherent in power-based styles.…”