Grandmothers are part of the parenting network, too! A longitudinal study on coparenting, maternal sensitivity, child attachment and behavior problems in a Chinese sample.

Abstract

Grandmothers are important in Chinese families. This study explored the early emerging mother‐grandmother‐infant network and its association with child's socioemotional development in multigenerational families in a non‐WEIRD country. The analytic sample included 60 children (T1: M age = 6.5 months) and their caregivers residing in Beijing. Measures used were the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), the Maternal Behavior Q‐Sort (MBQS), and the Infant‐Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. Structural equation and path modeling revealed that (1) more grandmaternal neutral/watching coparenting behaviors at the first assessment were related to more secure infant‐mother attachment relationships at the second assessment (T2: M age = 1 year); (2) maternal sensitivity at T2 was a partial mediator between earlier undermining and neutral/watching coparenting behaviors and young children's externalizing problems at the final assessment (T3: M age = 2 years). Findings are discussed in terms of the roles played by mother‐grandmother coparenting network in the children's socioemotional development.