TITLE:
Variability and Predictors of Mothers and Fathers’ Socialization Behaviors and Bidirectional Links with Their Preschoolers Socio-Emotional Competences
AUTHORS:
Stéphanie Mazzone, Nathalie Nader-Grosbois
KEYWORDS:
Parental Emotion-Related Socialization Behaviours, Preschool Period, Socio-Emotional Competences
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science,
Vol.7 No.12,
November
30,
2017
ABSTRACT: In their Parental Socialization of Emotions model, Eisenberg, Cumberland and Spinrad (1998) differentiated parents’ Emotion-Related Socialization Behaviours (ERSBs) that support their child’s socio-emotional development: their reactions to their child’s emotions, their discussions about emotions with the child and the expressions of their own emotions in the family. The cross- sectional study focused on the variability of parents’ ERSBs according to children’s and parents’ characteristics (Study 1) and included 167 mothers and 152 fathers of preschoolers. The short-term longitudinal study examined the interaction between parents’ ERSBs and children’s socio-emotional abilities (Theory of Mind, emotional regulation and social adjustment) (Study 2) in 53 two-parent families and their children, with a 6 months interval. In Study 1, parents’ ERSBs, their emotional competences and children’s personality were assessed by means of questionnaires. In Study 2, we combined direct and indirect measures to assess children’s socio-emotional competences. Results of Study 1 indicated that parental ERSBs were mainly predicted by children’s personality, such as emotional stability and parents’ emotional competences, such as communication about their own emotions. Moreover, we observed a differential sensitivity between mothers and fathers toward children’s personality. Results of Study 2 revealed that both mothers and fathers socialized their children’s socio-emotional competences, particularly by the way of emotion-related conversations with their children. Mothers’ emotion-related conversations predicted children’s Theory of mind abilities and social adjustment, while fathers’ emotion-related conversations predicted children’s emotional regulation. In addition, fathers’ reactions to their children’s emotions were predicted by children’s socio-emotional competences. These studies highlighted bidirectional effects between parents’ behaviours and children’s development. They emphasized also the importance to better identify predictors of parents’ ERSBs in order to know on which target the professionals should intervene.