Elucidating mechanisms linking mothers’ and fathers’ mind-mindedness in infancy with children’s self-regulation at early preschool age

Abstract

Extensive research has examined factors that contribute to individual differences in children’s self-regulation (SR), a key social-emotional competence crucial to adjustment and mental health. Those differences become salient and measurable at late toddler age. In the CAPS (N = 200 community families), we examined mothers’ and fathers’ appropriate mind-mindedness (MM)—the ability to view the child as a psychological agent and correctly interpret his or her mental states—as a predictor of children’s SR. MM was observed in parent–child interactions at 8 months, and SR was observed as the capacity for deliberate delay in standard tasks at 3 years. Reflecting a family system perspective, processes both within and across mother–child and father–child relationships were examined in one model. Parent–child mutual responsiveness, observed during interactions at 16 months, was modeled as a mediator of the paths from MM to SR. Fathers’ MM had a significant, direct positive effect on SR; in addition, it enhanced mutual responsiveness in both father–child and mother–child dyads and promoted child SR through enhanced mother–child mutual responsiveness. The findings elucidate relatively poorly understood mechanisms linking parental MM in infancy with SR at early preschool age, highlight similarities and differences in the processes unfolding in mother–child and father–child relationships, and emphasize interparental dynamics in socialization.