ERIC Number: EJ1129368
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0165-0254
EISSN: N/A
Toddlers' Differential Susceptibility to the Effects of Coparenting on Social-Emotional Adjustment
Altenburger, Lauren E.; Lang, Sarah N.; Schoppe-Sullivan, Sarah J.; Kamp Dush, Claire M.; Johnson, Susan
International Journal of Behavioral Development, v41 n2 p228-237 Mar 2017
The paper reports on a study which tested whether infants high in negative affectivity are differentially susceptible to observed coparenting behavior in relation to their subsequent social-emotional development. Data came from a longitudinal study of 182 US dual-earner, primiparous couples and their infant children. At nine-months postpartum, child negative affectivity was reported by mothers and fathers and supportive and undermining coparenting behavior were assessed from mother-father-infant observations. At 27-months mothers reported on toddlers' externalizing behavior and dysregulation using a clinical assessment tool designed to identify competencies and areas of concern in toddlers' social-emotional development. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed partial support for the differential susceptibility hypothesis. Specifically, infants high in negative affectivity had lower levels of dysregulation when embedded in a more supportive coparenting context, and higher levels of dysregulation when embedded in a less supportive coparenting context. In contrast, supportive coparenting behavior was not relevant for the dysregulation of infants initially low in negative affectivity.
Descriptors: Toddlers, At Risk Persons, Child Rearing, Parenting Styles, Social Development, Emotional Development, Adjustment (to Environment), Longitudinal Studies, Mothers, Fathers, Behavior Problems, Regression (Statistics), Family Environment, Infants, Parent Role, Affective Behavior, Infant Behavior, Questionnaires, Personality Traits, Interpersonal Relationship, Measures (Individuals), Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Rothbart Infant Behavior Questionnaire; Dyadic Adjustment Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: CAREER0746548; 1K01HD056238; R24HD058484