MODELING CAREGIVER-CHILD EMOTION REGULATION AND SOCIALIZATION PROFILES IN DAILY LIFE: A LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS EXPLORING ASSOCIATIONS WITH REGULATION SUCCESS AND EMOTIONAL LABILITY IN PRESCHOOL
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Date
2024-08-07
Authors
Cox , Maggie
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The influence of caregiver responses to child emotions (ERSBs) on child emotion regulation development in preschool is well established. However, less is known about how caregivers regulate their own emotions (emotion regulation; ER) during daily parent-child interactions, or the relationship between caregiver ER and ERSB patterns. There is also a need to identify contextual and environmental variables which moderate the association between daily ER and ERSBs on regulation success, to inform targeted interventions which are responsive to differences in the presentations and needs of caregiver-child dyads. This dissertation used Ecological Momentary Assessment methods (N = 197, 3 surveys per day over 7 days) and Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to model daily ER and ERSB strategy profiles that the caregivers of preschool children use in daily life. Logistic regressions were run at the caregiver level to determine how caregiver ER is associated with caregiver responses to child emotions (ERSBs; also referred to as emotion socialization). Linear regressions modelled the relationships between caregiver ER and ERSB profiles and perceived success of regulating their own and their child’s emotions. Across all measurement occasions, results indicated regulation success was highest for caregivers in ER and ERSB profiles characterized by frequent endorsement of “no regulation.” However, ERSB and ER profiles characterized by high diversity (e.g., flexibility) in strategy were most successful for regulating the emotions of children with high emotional lability, and for regulating caregiver emotions at timepoints when caregivers endorsed experiencing a negative emotion, respectively. Thus, results of this study suggest that competence with diverse ER and ERSB strategies, and flexible application of strategies across situations, may be particularly beneficial for caregivers managing difficult or variable emotions in themselves and their child.
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Keywords
Child and Family Intervention, Emotion Regulation, Emotion Socialization, Parenting, Preschool