The Parenting Behaviors of Shy–Anxious Mothers: The Moderating Role of Vagal Tone

Abstract

There is a long history examining the antecedents of maladaptive parenting practices. Indeed, in both the developmental and clinical literature, maternal anxiety has been linked to maladaptive parenting behavior, including engaging in high levels of control during mother-child interactions. However, the association between anxiety and controlling parenting is not consistent throughout the literature. Therefore, we sought to examine potential moderators that may impact the relation between anxiety and parenting. Specifically, we investigated maternal physiological regulation as a moderator of the relations between mothers' characteristics of shynessanxiety and their engagement in supportive parenting, restrictive parenting, and overprotective parenting. Sixtysix mothers of preschool-aged children participated. Mothers completed a questionnaire about their shynessanxiety, and their respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured at baseline as an index of parasympathetic regulation. In addition, mothers completed the Childrearing Practices Q-Sort as an index of parenting. Analyses revealed that mothers' shyness-anxiety was positively predictive of overprotective parenting and negatively predictive of supportive parenting. In addition, RSA moderated the relation between mothers' shyness-anxiety and overprotective parenting, but not supportive or restrictive parenting. Results are discussed with regard to the significant role that maternal emotion regulation plays in parenting practices. Specifically, it appears that shy-anxious mothers' emotion regulation may be an important area of focus for parent-training programs designed to prevent children's anxiety.

Shyness, aggression, and empathy in children of shy mothers: Moderating influence of children's psychophysiological self‐regulation

“…We can also consider the findings on the relation between maternal shyness and higher levels controlling parenting (Coplan et al, 2008;Root et al, 2016). This type of parenting has been linked to decreased levels of child empathy (Lyons et al, 2017;McGinley, 2018).…”

“…Although the influence of maternal shyness on children's socio-emotional development has not been fully established in the current literature, it has been found to be associated with some parenting behaviors such as restriction in the form of over control (Root, Hastings, & Rubin, 2016) and overprotectiveness (Coplan, Arbeau, & Armer, 2008). Protective parenting has been reported to be related to social wariness and increased or maintained inhibited temperament across the early childhood years (Bayer, Sanson, & Hemphill, 2006; Kagan, Snidman, Arcus, & Reznick, 1994; Kiel & Buss, 2011Rubin, Burgess, & Hastings, 2002).…”

Symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and stress in parents of children with social anxiety disorder

“…There is also evidence that the parenting behaviours that are hypothesized to play a role in the maintenance of childhood SAD are associated with elevated parental symptoms of social anxiety (see further Ollendick & Benoit, ; Spence & Rapee, ). For example, significant positive associations have been found between self‐reported maternal social anxiety symptoms and overprotective parenting among non‐clinical populations (Root, Hastings, & Rubin, ).…”

The Role of Caregiver Support in the Development of Adaptive Approaches to Learning for Preschoolers Who Exhibit Anxious-Withdrawal

“…Some have hypothesized that this behavior is in part driven by increased caregiver trait anxiety (Root et al, 2016). Their hypervigilance is likely intensified if they have a child who displays more AW as the child's cautiousness and nervousness can make them more hesitant to place demands on the child out of fear of further upsetting them.…”