Parental Emotion Research Articles

Raising siblings is stressful: Measuring parental emotion regulation in the sibling context

Parents’ ability to manage intense emotions in the face of conflictual sibling interactions is a significant challenge that has been linked with various child and parent outcomes. With existing instruments focused on raising a single child, we lack validated instruments to assess dimensions of parental emotion regulation in the context of rearing siblings. We tested the factor structure, reliability, divergent and concurrent criterion validity of a new instrument designed to measure parental emotion regulation ( Parental Emotional Regulation in the Sibling Context Questionnaire) while raising two or more children. Participants, 359 mothers from 35 countries, with two children aged 4- to 8-years, completed the new instrument along with established measures of parental emotion regulation, sibling relationship quality, and children’s emotion regulation. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the utility of the instrument in reliably assessing dimensions of parent emotional regulation (Reactivity and Dysregulation). Evidence for divergent validity stemmed from associations with an established measure of general emotion regulation strategies and evidence for concurrent criterion validity stemmed from associations with children’s sibling relationship quality. Findings have implications for the reliable identification of mothers who are facing emotion regulation difficulties, the design of customized intervention strategies, and the evaluation of prevention and intervention programs.

The Indirect Effects of Fathers’ Parenting Style and Parent Emotion Regulation on the Relationship Between Father Self-Efficacy and Children’s Mental Health Difficulties

Improving parental self-efficacy has been linked with reductions in child mental health difficulties; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear, especially for fathers. This study investigated whether father self-efficacy influences child mental health difficulties indirectly through parenting style and parent-facilitated regulation of children’s negative emotions. A community sample of American fathers (N = 350, M = 39.45 years old) completed self-reports on father self-efficacy, parenting styles, parent-facilitated emotion regulation, and their children’s mental health difficulties (aged 4–12). Path analysis was used to test a cross-sectional, parallel–sequential indirect effect model. Father self-efficacy had a significant indirect effect on child mental health difficulties via three significant pathways of permissive parenting, authoritative parenting–acceptance of child’s negative emotions, and authoritarian parenting–avoidance of child’s negative emotions. Our model explained a moderate amount of variance in child mental health difficulties. The findings support promoting father self-efficacy through parenting interventions and highlight parenting beliefs as important for clinicians providing child mental health care.

Parental Burnout in Israeli Parents of Children with ASD During Wartime: The Role of Child Behavior, Parental Emotion Regulation, Stress, and Social Support.

During emergencies like wartime, parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face heightened challenges, potentially leading to Parental Burnout (PB). Wartime conditions can exacerbate children's behavioral difficulties, contributing to PB. Protective factors such as successful Emotional Regulation (ER) and perceived social support may mitigate PB. This study aims to compare child behavioral problems, parental ER difficulties, perceived social support, stress, and PB between parents of children with ASD and Typical Development (TD) during wartime. It also investigates how ER difficulties, perceived social support, and stress moderate the relationship between child behavioral problems and PB. The study included 213 Israeli parents: 101 parents of children diagnosed with ASD and 112 parents of TD children. Participants were recruited during the "Swords of Iron" War using purposive sampling via online platforms. Findings indicate that children with ASD exhibited higher levels of behavioral problems, and their parents experienced increased difficulties in ER, stress, and PB, alongside decreased perceived social support compared to parents of TD children. Moderation analysis revealed that ER difficulties, perceived social support, and stress moderated the direct association between child behavioral problems and PB specifically among parents of TD children. This study underscores the heightened vulnerability of parents with ASD-diagnosed children during wartime, emphasizing the importance of understanding how these circumstances impact parental well-being and available resources. Effective interventions should target enhancing ER, social support, and addressing parental stress, PB, and child behavioral issues, underscoring the need for prioritized services despite wartime challenges.

Ambivalent surveillance: teaching in the times of anti-woke

ABSTRACT This article addresses the current racialized surveillance regime censoring Blackness and targeting educators in public education, known as “anti-woke.” Building on critical surveillance scholarship, I develop “ambivalent surveillance” to describe the technologies of social control that implicate subjects in both their complicity and resistance to disciplinary power. Examining media narratives about educators implicated and layering on a discussion of racialization and affect, I argue anti-woke legislation produces educators as ambivalent subjects who negotiate their critical values and job security while managing the white emotions of students, parents, and administrators. To conclude, I consider pedagogical possibilities for combatting anti-woke legislation.

Adolescents' neural responses to their parents' emotions: associations with emotion regulation, internalizing symptoms, and substance use.

Parental emotion expression has been linked to adolescent emotional and psychopathology development. However, neural responses to parental emotion are not well characterized. The present study examined associations between adolescents' neural responses to parent emotion and adolescents' emotion regulation (ER) difficulties, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and substance use (SU). One hundred seventy-five 12- to 14-year-olds and their parent(s) participated in the study. In a lab session, families completed a parent-adolescent interaction task. In an MRI session, adolescents viewed videos of their own parents and unfamiliar parents expressing positive, negative, and neutral emotions from the interaction task. Higher salience region responses to own parent negative emotion (versus neutral) in ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), anterior insula (AI), and nucleus accumbens (NAc) were associated with adolescent ER difficulties and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Higher vACC and AI responses to parent positive emotion (versus neutral) were associated with anxiety symptoms only. Higher salience region responses to own parent negative emotion (versus other parent negative) were associated with ER difficulties. Responses to own parent positive emotion (versus other parent positive) were associated with ER and anxiety symptoms for boys. Findings suggest that adolescents' salience system sensitivity to parental emotion may be important in the development of ER and internalizing symptoms.

PERAN ORANG TUA DALAM PENGEMBANGAN SOSIAL EMOSIONAL ANAK DI ERA SOCIETY 5.0

The Society 5.0 era is a concept of a human-centered and technology-based Society , where early childhood is also very close to technology, especially gadgets. This has more or less affected the social emotional development of early childhood. This study aims to determine the role of parents in the development of children's social emotional aspects in the Society 5.0 era and to determine the social emotional aspects of children in the Society 5.0 era using a qualitative descriptive approach to parents who have children aged 4-5 years. Data collection techniques with interviews and observations. The role of parents in the Society 5.0 era has a very influential role in children, differences in children's behavior were found when using technology and their social emotions in parents who play a direct role in children and parents who work and the social emotional aspects of children are currently influenced by the Society 5.0 era which makes children dependent on gadgets so that children are more comfortable alone with gadgets which has an impact on minimal interaction and socializing children with others. The role of parents is very influential in the social emotional development of early childhood, therefore the need for care and guidance for children.

Strengthening children's sibling relationships using an online preventive intervention program for parents

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose was to test a new evidence‐based online preventive intervention designed to help parents improve the sibling relationships of their 4‐ to 8‐year‐old children.BackgroundFew evidence‐based resources exist to address parents' concerns about fostering positive sibling relationships. To address this need, the emotion‐focused online program placed parents in the role of educator, preparing them to teach their children social and emotional competencies shown in previous research to promote prosocial sibling interaction.MethodEighty‐six mothers provided assessments of children's sibling relationship quality, child and parent emotion regulation abilities, and coparenting quality prior to and following completion of four online lessons. A randomly assigned wait‐list control group of mothers (n = 49) provided comparable assessments.ResultsRepeated measures multivariate analyses of covariance revealed that, following program completion, participants perceived their children to demonstrate greater sibling warmth and less agonism and rivalry. Effects were sustained at 3 months. Mothers also reported increased abilities to regulate their own emotions as well as greater collaboration and support in their coparenting relationship.ConclusionResults support the effectiveness of the online More Fun with Sisters and Brothers Program for Parents for enabling mothers from diverse international communities to support positive sibling relationships.ImplicationsIncreasing access to evidence‐based tools for strengthening sibling relationships can enable parents to support these vital lifelong bonds.

A Thematic Analysis of Low-Income African American Fathers’ Meta-Emotion Interview Responses

This study explored African American fathers’ beliefs about and experiences with their own and their children’s negative emotions. Participants included 58 African American fathers in the Midwestern region of the United States between the ages of 29 and 40 ( M age = 30.94). Participants completed the Meta-Emotion Interview, a semi-structured interview of parents’ and their children’s negative emotion. A theoretical thematic analysis of participants’ responses to a subset of Meta-Emotion Interview questions about sadness and anger was conducted. Five themes of African American fathers’ beliefs about and experiences with their own and their children’s negative emotions were interpreted: (1) responsibility for children’s emotions, (2) complex relationship with anger, (3) reckoning negative emotions, (4) children at the center, and (5) actively working through emotions. Taken together, these five themes demonstrate that African American fathers recognize the inherent value of negative emotions while navigating the potential harm these emotions may bring to self and others. Furthermore, the findings provide insight into the role of African American fathers in parental emotion socialization processes.

Parent self-compassion: direct effects on parent emotion socialization and indirect effects on adolescent emotion dysregulation

Parent self-compassion: direct effects on parent emotion socialization and indirect effects on adolescent emotion dysregulation

Adult Parental Attachment and Adolescent Psychological Problems: Mediating Role of Adult Emotional Processes in the Family

The study explores the mediation roles of parent emotion regulation and emotional reactivity in the relationship between adult parental attachment and adolescent psychological problems. The study group consisted of 324 parents. The findings reveal that secure adult attachment to both parents correlates with fewer adolescent psychological issues. Notably, adult emotional reactivity and parent emotion regulation partially mediate this relationship, highlighting distinct mediation pathways for emotional reactivity and parent emotion regulation in attachment to both mothers and fathers. This contributes new insights into parent-child relationships and adolescent psychological health.

A Systematic Review of Parent Socialization of Negative Affect in Clinical Child Samples: Relations to Youth Emotion Regulation Abilities.

Emotion-focused parenting practices, known as parent emotion socialization, play a crucial role in shaping youth's emotion regulation (ER) abilities. The impact of parent emotion socialization behaviors (ESB) on youth ER has been studied extensively in community samples. However, research on these relations in clinical samples is more limited, albeit growing. The current systematic review sought to evaluate the existing literature examining parent ESB of negative affect in various clinical child and adolescent samples. A literature search was conducted in April 2023, resulting in 1153 abstracts being reviewed. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts to identify relevant papers, with 152 articles being independently reviewed in full, of which 26 articles met inclusion criteria and are included in the current review. Studies (16 cross-sectional, 6 longitudinal, 4 intervention) utilized multi-methods of assessing youth ER, including questionnaires, physiological, and observational measures in a range of clinical samples, including youth diagnosed with internalizing, externalizing, and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as youth at-risk for clinical diagnoses such as physically abused children. Overall, results support significant, negative associations between parent ESB practices and youth emotion dysregulation (rs = .22-.35) and negativity/lability (rs = .19-.60), and positive associations with youth ER abilities (rs = .18-.76). Some studies highlighted varying impacts of parental ESB on children with versus without clinical disorders/symptomology, with effects being more pronounced within clinical populations. Implications for these findings and future research directions are discussed, including the significance of focusing on parent ESB in intervention work with clinical child populations.

Parental emotion socialization and parent-child attachment security: A meta-analytic review.

Although parental sensitivity is an established determinant of children's attachment security, effect sizes are modest, suggesting other aspects of parenting that might support secure attachment. Parental emotion socialization (ES) has been proposed as a parenting domain that is theoretically linked to secure parent-child attachment. The goal of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the strength of the relations between parental ES and attachment security in children under the age of 18. We conducted three meta-analyses assessing the links of supportive parental ES, nonsupportive parental ES, and parental elaboration with attachment security assessed with behavioral, representational, and questionnaire measures (ks = 9-11 samples; Ns = 576-1,763 participants). The relation between supportive ES and security was significant but very small (r = .06). The relation between nonsupportive ES and security was not significant (r = -.05). Parental elaboration emerged as a key correlate of secure attachment, with a medium effect size (r = .24), similar to the relation between sensitivity and attachment security. The findings underscore the need for further research to elaborate on the role of ES in the development of attachment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Parental Emotion Socialization and Parent–Child Attachment Security: A Meta-Analytic Review

Supplemental Material for Parental Emotion Socialization and Parent–Child Attachment Security: A Meta-Analytic Review

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy as Applied to Turkish Families: Effectiveness for Children with Behavior Problems and Their Caregivers

This study assessed the impact of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) on caregiver and child outcomes in Türkiye using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design (N = 3). Improvements in child disruptive behavior frequency were observed, with a large effect across participants (Tau-U = −0.74) and perceived problematic child behaviors (Tau-U = −0.87). School refusal, anxiety symptoms, and child emotion regulation improved with reliable change indices indicating clinically significant improvements (>1.96). Clinically significant decreases (RCI >1.96) in parenting stress and parent emotion regulation difficulties were also observed. Parents demonstrated improvements in parenting skills, as outlined by the PCIT protocol. This study highlights PCIT’s efficacy within a novel cultural context.

Predicting Children’s Mental Well-Being During COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Maternal Cognitive Emotion Regulation

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of warm, supportive, and positive relationships caused behavioral and psychological problems in children. This study aimed to predict the psychological well-being of primary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic based on parental self-efficacy and cognitive emotion regulation in mothers based on the mediating role of the parent-child relationship. Methods: The present applied research used a descriptive correlation in terms of data collection and analysis. This research was conducted on 385 cases, including students and their parents, who were selected using a random sampling method. The research instruments included the Reef's psychological well-being questionnaire (18 questions), Johnston and Mash parenting sense of competence scale, Garnefski's cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire, and Fine's parent-child relationship scale. Two psychology experts assessed the face validity of the questionnaires. Reliability of the questionnaires was measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Results: The average total scores of psychological well-being, parenting sense of competence, parent-child relationship, and cognitive emotion regulation were 68, 58.3, 72.1, and 61.4, respectively. Maternal cognitive emotion regulation was a significant predictor of the parent-child relationship (p< 0.01). We found that parenting sense of competence and maternal cognitive emotion regulation were able to predict students' psychological well-being through parent-child relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Increasing the level of parenting sense of competence and regulating parental emotions can improve the relationship between parents and their children.

Do parents show interpersonally oriented socialization practices for adolescents' negative emotions? Through the lens of Chinese families.

This research proposes a new framework called interpersonally oriented parental emotion socialization (inter-PES) practices to address parental socialization of adolescents' interpersonal emotional processing. This framework captures parents' interpersonal perspectives when their adolescent children experience negative emotions resulting from social interactions. In Study 1, parents (n = 925; 84.54% females; Mage = 39.86 years, SD = 4.37) recalled their PES practices. Content analysis of parents' narratives showed four components of inter-PES: perspective-taking, positive attributions to others, negative attributions to others, and concern for others. In Study 2, parents (n = 536; 57.98% females; Mage = 42.84 years, SD = 4.01) evaluated their own parenting behaviors on a newly developed scale to measure the four components mentioned above. Factor analysis supported the four-factor structure. Moreover, the four subscales demonstrated good reliabilities. In Study 3, adolescents (n = 864; 45.97% females; Mage = 14.50 years, SD = 0.77) reported their perceived maternal inter-PES using the same scale, and factor analysis again confirmed the four-factor structure. Study 3 also showed that the four components of inter-PES reported by adolescents were related to their perceptions of other commonly assessed maternal parenting variables and self-reported socioemotional development. Overall, this research develops a new tool for studying inter-PES and reveals new avenues for future research on how parents' interpersonal perspectives during emotional socialization may relate to adolescents' socioemotional outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

MHealth Service Effects for Negative Emotions Among Parents of Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This review aims to ascertain the effects of mHealth on negative emotions among parents of preterm infants and analyze the current state of mHealth services in this context. Caring for preterm infants often engenders negative emotions in parents, such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Mobile Health (mHealth) services offer potential benefits for preterm infant care. However, there are several uncertainties regarding the impact of mHealth services on parental emotions. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) and quasi-RCT were published in English and Chinese until 2023 and are available in the electronic databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAHL), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database were reviewed. Review Manager 5.4 was employed for random-effects meta-analysis. Seven RCTs and 6 quasi-RCTs with high risks were included, most of them were based on small sample size and single-centered. Meta-analysis demonstrated that mHealth interventions mitigated negative emotions, including anxiety (standard mean difference [SMD]=-1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.47 to -0.66; P<0.0001), depression (SMD=-1.94; 95% CI, -3.01 to -0.86; P<0.0001), and stress (SMD=-1.24; 95% CI, -2.07 to -0.40; P<0.0001), among parents of preterm infants. It is recommended to develop independent specialized software for mHealth, enhance theoretical underpinnings, and standardize practical protocols. Incorporating early recognition and screening of negative emotions within mHealth could offer comprehensive support for the mental health of parents with preterm infants. The mHealth-based interventions are needed to focus on the parents' emotional needs and minimize the impacts associated with mental stress.

Impact of alexithymia, speech problems and parental emotion recognition on internalizing and externalizing problems in preschoolers.

Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty identifying and describing emotions and an externally oriented thinking style, is a personality trait linked to various mental health issues. Despite its recognized importance, research on alexithymia in early childhood is sparse. This study addresses this gap by investigating alexithymia in preschool-aged children and its correlation with psychopathology, along with parental alexithymia. Data were analyzed from 174 parents of preschoolers aged 3 to 6, including 27 children in an interdisciplinary intervention program, all of whom attended regular preschools. Parents filled out online questionnaires assessing their children's alexithymia (Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Parent Report) and psychopathology (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), as well as their own alexithymia (Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire) and emotion recognition (Reading Mind in the Eyes Test). Linear multivariable regressions were computed to predict child psychopathology based on both child and parental alexithymia. Preschool children's alexithymia could be predicted by their parents' alexithymia and parents' emotion recognition skills. Internalizing symptomatology could be predicted by overall child alexithymia, whereas externalizing symptomatology was predicted by difficulties describing negative feelings only. Parental alexithymia was linked to both child alexithymia and psychopathology. The findings provide first evidence of the importance of alexithymia as a possible risk factor in early childhood and contribute to understanding the presentation and role of alexithymia. This could inform future research aimed at investigating the causes, prevention, and intervention strategies for psychopathology in children.

Pupillary Responses to Dynamic Negative Versus Positive Facial Expressions of Emotion in Children and Parents: Links to Depression and Anxiety.

Witnessing emotional expressions in others triggers physiological arousal in humans. The current study focused on pupil responses to emotional expressions in a community sample as a physiologicalindex of arousal and attention. We explored the associations between parents' and offspring's responses to dynamic facial expressions of emotion, as well as the links between pupil responses and anxiety/depression. Children (N=90, MAge=10.13, range=7.21-12.94, 47 girls) participated in this lab study with one of their parents (47 mothers). Pupil responses were assessed in a computer task with dynamic happy, angry, fearful, and sad expressions, while participants verbally labeled the emotion displayed on the screen as quickly as possible. Parents and children reported anxiety and depression symptoms in questionnaires. Both parents and children showed stronger pupillary responses to negative versus positive expressions, and children's responses were overall stronger than those of parents. We also found links between the pupil responses of parents and children to negative, especially to angry faces. Child pupil responses were related to their own and their parents' anxiety levels and to their parents' (but not their own) depression. We conclude that child pupils are sensitive to individual differences in parents' pupils and emotional dispositions in community samples.

School Refusal Behaviors: The Roles of Adolescent and Parental Factors.

School refusal behaviors in adolescents have deleterious immediate and long-term consequences and are associated with mental ill-health such as anxiety and depression. Understanding factors that place youth at higher risk of school refusal behavior may assist in developing effective management approaches. We investigated parental and adolescent factors that may be associated with school refusal behaviors by specifically focusing on the role of parental and adolescent emotion dysregulation, their anxiety and depression, and parental rearing style. First, we hypothesized that adolescents with school refusal behaviors, as well as their parents, will report higher levels of emotion dysregulation, anxiety, and depression compared to their counterparts without school refusal behaviors. Furthermore, we hypothesized that multivariate models testing the role of parental and child factors concurrently will show that parental (emotion dysregulation, anxiety and depression, and rearing styles) and adolescent (emotion dysregulation, anxiety, and depression) factors are associated with school refusal behaviors. One hundred and six adolescents aged 12 to 18 years and their parents completed an online questionnaire measuring both parental and adolescent emotion dysregulation, anxiety, depression, parental rearing styles, and adolescents' school refusal behaviors. Adolescents with school refusal behaviors reported greater anxiety and depression, with their parents showing greater emotion dysregulation. Multivariate analyses showed that parental emotion dysregulation and adolescent age were associated with school refusal behaviors independently. Future management for school refusal behaviors should consider age-tailored approaches by incorporating training for parental emotion regulation skills.