The Interface of Maternal Cognitions and Executive Function in Parenting and Child Conduct Problems

Abstract

Objective To explore the direct and indirect associations of maternal emotion control, executive functioning, and social cognitions maternal with harsh verbal parenting and child behavior and to do so guided by social information processing theory. Background Studies have demonstrated a relationship between maternal harsh parenting and increased child conduct problems. However, less is known about how maternal emotion and cognitive control capacities and social cognitions intersect with harsh parenting and child behavior. Method Structural equation modeling was used with a convenience sample of 152 mothers from Appalachia who had a child between 3 and 7 years of age. Results Maternal emotion control and executive functioning were both inversely associated with child conduct problems. That is, stronger maternal emotion control was associated with less harsh verbal parenting and lower hostile attribution bias, and higher maternal executive functioning was related to less controlling parenting attitudes. Conclusion The results suggest maternal emotion and cognitive control capacities affect how mothers interact with their children and ultimately child conduct problems. Implications To more effectively reduce harsh verbal parenting and child conduct problems, interventions should help mothers to improve their emotion and cognitive control capacities.

Self‐Regulatory Development in Children from Chinese Immigrant Families: Evidence for Commonality and Specificity

“…In their theoretical model, Bridgett et al, (2015) conceptualize parent executive function as being primarily involved in the regulation of parents' behaviors. Consistent with this conceptualization, a growing body of research indicates consistent links between poorer executive functions and features of authoritarian parenting, such as corporal punishment, expressions of negative affect, and other harsh caregiving behaviors (Crandall, Ghazarian, Deater-Deckard, Bell, & Riley, 2018;Cuevas et al, 2014;Deater-Deckard, Wang, Chen, & Bell, 2012). As such, we expected that Chinese American parents' executive function would be negatively associated with authoritarian parenting.…”

A biopsychosocial approach to processes and pathways in the development of overweight and obesity in childhood: Insights from developmental theory and research

“…One of the pathways explaining how children evoke reactions from their parents is through parental cognitions. The contribution of parental cognitions, attributions, expectations, beliefs, and values to parenting behavior and reactions to child behavior has been a theme in developmental research since at least the early 1980s . The mediating role of parental cognitions including perceptions, expectations, attitude, and beliefs about the child and his/her behavior has been important in explaining the evocative processes.…”

Parent emotional regulation: A meta-analytic review of its association with parenting and child adjustment

“…Twelve studies (superscript 2 in Supplemental 2, total N across studies ¼ 1850) included measures of parent emotion regulation skill and negative parenting behaviors. Eight studies measured parents' use of cognitive reappraisal, whereas the other four used either a composite of vagal tone and self-reported regulation (Deater-Deckard et al, 2016), self-report of negative mood regulation (Rodriguez et al, 2017), measured anticipated regulation of negative mood using hypothetical scenarios (Martini et al, 2004), or assessed emotional control (Crandall et al, 2018). For negative parenting behavior, four studies measured unsupportive emotion socialization using the CCNES, whereas five studies used other survey measures and three studies used observation and survey measures.…”

“…Five studies (superscript 7 in Supplemental 2, total N across studies ¼ 746) included measures of parent emotion regulation skill and child externalizing behaviors. Two studies measured parents' cognitive reappraisal, and the other three measured parents' cognitive reappraisal specific to child discipline (Lorber et al, 2017), negative mood regulation via interview (Kliewer et al, 2004), or emotional control (Crandall et al, 2018). All but one study used survey measures of externalizing behaviors.…”