Preconception interpersonal personality features predict postpartum maternal parenting behaviors.

Abstract

Individual differences in personality traits affect the quality of social relationships. The parent-child relationship is among the most impactful social relationships in an individual's life, and positive parenting behaviors are known to support positive child development. The present study aimed to identify personality predictors-measured prior to conception at age 16-on later positive parenting behaviors. Young women (n = 207; 83.5% Black or multiracial; 86.9% receiving public assistance) who were followed since childhood as part of a prospective longitudinal study were observed interacting with their infants 4 months postpartum. We tested prospective associations between personality factors relevant to the quality and maintenance of social relationships-empathy, callousness, and rejection sensitivity-and coded dimensions of parenting behavior: maternal warmth, responsiveness, and mental state talk. We additionally examined potential moderating effects of infant affect on the relations between personality and parenting behavior. Results indicated that preconception empathy predicted later maternal warmth and responsivity, whereas preconception callousness was inversely associated with maternal warmth. The association between rejection sensitivity and maternal mental state talk was moderated by infant affect, consistent with a "goodness-of-fit" framework. The present study is the first to our knowledge to report associations between preconception personality and later parenting behaviors. The findings suggest that a woman's personality traits in adolescence, potentially years before she becomes a mother, can predict her behavior during interactions with her infant. Clinically, findings suggest the potential for interventions in adolescence to influence later parenting behavior and ultimately impact children's developmental outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).