Relations Among Child Negative Emotionality, Parenting Stress, and Maternal Sensitive Responsiveness in Early Childhood

SYNOPSIS

Objective. This short-term longitudinal study focuses on relations between preschool-aged childrens' perceived “difficult” temperament (defined as high negative emotionality) and observed maternal sensitive responsiveness in the context of maternal parenting stress. Design. Participants were fifty-nine 3-year-olds and their mothers. Mothers completed questionnaires for child temperament and parenting stress. Maternal sensitive responsiveness was observed during a structured play session in the home three to five months later. Results. The relation between higher levels of child negative emotionality and greater maternal sensitive responsiveness was qualified by an interaction between parenting stress and sex of the child. In boys, higher levels of negative emotionality were associated with greater maternal sensitive responsiveness, but only for mothers experiencing low parenting stress. In girls, higher levels of negative emotionality were associated with greater maternal sensitive responsiveness, but only for mothers experiencing high parenting stress. Conclusion. The degree to which mothers from middle to high socioeconomic backgrounds can adapt their behavior to the needs of their children depends on child negative emotionality, experienced parenting stress, and the sex of the child.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to the child health centers of Evean and Amstelring and to the mothers and children who participated in our study. We also would like to thank the following graduate students for their assistance in collecting and coding of data: Carine Heuvel, Kristin Hollestelle, Anna Pires, and Jacqueline Alix.

Notes

Gelbwasser, A. S. (2003). Child and family functioning one year after adoptive placement in prenatally substance exposed children. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.

Majdandzic, M., & van den Boom, D. C. (2001). Dutch version of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.