Abstract: The Associations Among Adoptive Parent Parenting, Birth Mother and Child Emotionality during Middle Childhood (Society for Prevention Research 24th Annual Meeting)

Schedule:

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Pacific D/L (Hyatt Regency San Francisco)

* noted as presenting author

Elizabeth A. Shewark, MA, Graduate Student, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Jenae M. Neiderhiser, PhD, Research Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

David Reiss, MD, Clinical Professor, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Jody M. Ganiban, PhD, Professor, George Washington University, Washington, DC

Daniel S. Shaw, PhD, Professor and Chair, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Misaki Natsuaki, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA

Leslie D. Leve, PhD, Associate Director of the Prevention Science Institute; Professor of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, Prevention Science Institute, Eugene, OR

Children’s emotionality has been linked to numerous behavioral outcomes, including externalizing and internalizing problems (e.g., Eisenberg et al., 2009), therefore highlighting emotionality as a crucial aspect for successful adjustment. Research has shown that the parent-child relationship impacts children’s emotion development, (e.g., Hart, Newell, & Olsen, 2003), however few studies have examined the influence of children’s emotionality on this relationship. Even fewer studies have examined how these child-driven effects on the parent-child relationship may be due, in part, to heritable influences of the child. The current report will use a parent-offspring adoption design to examine the associations among parenting and child emotionality during middle childhood while also considering how birth parent emotionality may be involved.

Using data from cohort 1 of the Early Growth and Development Study, a parent-offspring adoption sample (N= 361), we examined heritable (birth mother (BM) emotionality from the Adult Temperament Questionnaire) and environmental [adoptive parent (AP) positive (Alabama Parenting Questionnaire) and overactive parenting (Arnold Parenting Scale)] influences on child emotionality (Child Behavior Questionnaire) at age 6 and later internalizing and externalizing problems (Child Behavior Checklist) at age 7.

Preliminary analyses indicate that child negative emotionality was associated with AP overreactive parenting (r = .33, p < .01) but not with BM negative emotionality (r = .02, ns) or later child externalizing (r = .02, ns) or internalizing problems (r = .02, ns). Child positive emotionality was inversely associated with both AP overreactive (r = -.15, p < .05) and positive associated with positive parenting (r = .29, p < .01) but not with BM positive emotionality (r = -.04, ns), later child externalizing (r = -.06, ns) or internalizing problems (r = -.06, ns).

These preliminary findings support prior work of associations between parenting and child emotionality. There is no evidence that the heritable influences of birth mother negative emotionality play a role in these preliminary associations. There is also no association between child emotionality and child behavior problems. Additional analyses will examine possible moderation of associations between parenting and child emotionality by birth mother emotionality or other behaviors, such as externalizing or internalizing problems using both cohort 1 and 2 of this sample (N=561). By elucidating the mechanism by which family relationships influence the emotionality and later adjustment of the child, prevention and intervention programs will be able to effectively target behaviors that are shown to have environmental effects within the family.

Abstract: The Associations Among Adoptive Parent Parenting, Birth Mother and Child Emotionality during Middle Childhood (Society for Prevention Research 24th Annual Meeting)

491 The Associations Among Adoptive Parent Parenting, Birth Mother and Child Emotionality during Middle Childhood