The Affective Structure of Supportive Parenting: Depressive Symptoms, Immediate Emotions, and Child-Oriented Motivation.

Abstract

This study investigated the maternal concerns and emotions that may regulate one form of sensitive parenting, support for children's immediate desires or intentions. While reviewing a videotape of interactions with their 1-year-olds, mothers who varied on depressive symptoms reported concerns and emotions they had during the interaction. Emotions reflected outcomes either to children (child-oriented concerns) or to mothers themselves (parent-oriented concerns). Child-oriented concerns were associated with fewer negative emotions and more supportive behavior. Supportive parenting was high among mothers who experienced high joy and worry and low anger, sadness, and guilt. However, relations depended on whether emotions were child or parent oriented: Supportive behavior occurred more when emotions were child oriented. In addition, as depressive symptoms increased, mothers reported fewer child-oriented concerns, fewer child-oriented positive emotions, and more parent-oriented negative emotions. They also displayed less supportive behavior. Findings suggest that support for children's immediate intentions may be regulated by parents' concerns, immediate emotions, and depressive symptoms.

Examining Affective-Motivational Dynamics and Behavioral Implications Within The Interpersonal Context of Pain

“…For instance, it is possible that superficially similar caregiving behaviour may exert differential effects on pain-related outcomes when underpinned by approach versus avoidance motives [23,39]. Such associations are noted elsewhere within interpersonal research, for instance, individuals in romantic relationships report more favourable psychological outcomes when partner actions are perceived to arise from 10 10 approach motivation; these same partner actions are associated with detrimental psychological outcomes when perceived to arise from avoidance motives.…”

Income Is Not Enough: Incorporating Material Hardship Into Models of Income Associations With Parenting and Child Development

“…The stress inherent in living with low income may become manifest as marital conflict and/or depression (Conger, Ge, Elder, Lorenz, & Simons, 1994;Du Rocher Schudlich & Cummings, 2003;Kessler et al, 2003;Parke et al, 2004;Wadsworth, Raviv, Compas, & Connor-Smith, 2005). Children whose parents' marriages are characterized by high conflict or whose parents have elevated levels of depressive symptoms are at a greater risk for social, emotional, and behavioral problems (Cummings & Davies, 1999;Davies & Cummings, 1994;Downey & Coyne, 1990), in large part because maritally distressed or depressed parents are more likely to either withdraw from their children or to become hostile toward them (Dix, Gershoff, Meunier, & Miller, 2004;McLoyd et al, 1994; NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 1999;Pinderhughes, Dodge, Bates, Pettit, & Zelli, 2000;Simons, Lorenz, Wu, & Conger, 1993;Tronick & Weinberg, 1997). Integrating these lines of research, the family stress model posits that material hardship takes a major toll on parents' mental health (particularly depressive symptoms) and relationships with partners, each of which in turn impacts parenting behavior.…”

Association of maternal dopamine transporter genotype with negative parenting: evidence for gene x environment interaction with child disruptive behavior

“…For example, mothers interact very differently with children who are compliant and obedient than with children who are defiant and disruptive. 8,9 Variations in parenting behavior are also correlated with parental social support 11 and parental characteristics including negative affect, 12 personality traits such as neuroticism, 13 and parental cognitive characteristics such as intelligence and attribution biases. [14][15][16] Parent-based designs, in which adult twins selfreport on their parenting behavior with their own children, suggest that multiple dimensions of parenting behavior, including care and protectiveness 17 and warmth and positivity 18 are at least moderately heritable, although the one study that used observational measures of parenting found little genetic influence on negative parenting.…”