The role of maternal emotional availability and attachment in child emotion regulation

Kammermeier, Marina (2021): The role of maternal emotional availability and attachment in child emotion regulation. Dissertation, LMU München: Fakultät für Psychologie und Pädagogik

Abstract

Emotions are an essential aspect of human life. They help us to evaluate the importance of an event, to act quickly in a variety of situations, and to communicate with others in social interactions. However, the intensity or duration of emotional responses may not always be adaptive in a given situation or social context. Thus, the ability to regulate emotions is crucial for ones’ well-being, mental health, and socio-emotional functioning. A vast body of literature has emphasized the role of the social environment in children’s development of emotion regulation. Theoretical accounts have emphasized the significance of experiences within caregiving relationships that contribute considerably to the development of (mal-) adaptive emotion regulation (Cassidy, 1994; Kopp, 1989; Sroufe, 1996a). The current thesis focused on attachment security (Ainsworth et al., 1974; Bowlby, 1969/82; Cassidy, 1994) and maternal emotional availability (Biringen, 2008; Biringen et al., 2014) as two key aspects of caregiver–child relationship quality that support children’s development of adaptive emotion regulation. Despite a large body of research on child emotion regulation, not all stages of emotion regulation have been addressed equally in young children. The stage of attentional regulation is particularly interesting as attentional distraction is one of the earliest regulation strategies that emerge. Yet, only few studies have investigated young children’s attentional regulation in response to facial expressions. Furthermore, the stage of behavioral regulation is particularly important in difficult social interactions with others. However, young children’s behavioral regulation in frustrating situations has so far not been researched in cooperative interactions with others. Considering the importance of the domain of emotional development for later developmental outcomes, the current thesis focused on the role of attachment and maternal emotional availability for young children’s attentional and behavioral regulation. For that purpose, three studies were conducted, focusing on two age groups, that is, preschool and toddler period. The first study investigated the relation of attachment security and attentional regulation in preschoolers. In particular, the study examined the relation between preschoolers’ attachment security and their visual attention to facial emotional expressions. To this end, 5-year-olds’ generalized attachment representations and their attention duration to pictures of negative and positive facial expressions were assessed. Results revealed that secure attachment was related to prolonged attention to fearful, sad, and neutral facial expressions. The study supports the notion that attachment security plays a significant role in young children’s attention to emotional information. The second study investigated the relation of maternal emotional availability and attentional regulation in toddlers. In particular, the study examined the reciprocal relations of maternal sensitivity and non-intrusiveness and children’s visual attention to emotional facial expressions. To this end, mothers’ behavior was observed in play interactions and children’s attention to negative and positive facial expressions were assessed at 12 and 24 months. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that more sensitive behavior at 12 months predicted prolonged attention to sad and happy expressions at 24 months, while less intrusive caregiving at 12 months predicted prolonged attention to sad expressions at 24 months. Concurrent maternal emotional availability had no effect on toddlers’ attentional regulation. The study supports the notion that maternal sensitive behavior plays a significant role in young children’s attention to emotional information. The third study investigated the relation of maternal emotional availability and behavioral regulation in toddlers. In particular, the study examined whether maternal sensitivity and non-intrusiveness contribute to children’s behavior in difficult cooperative interactions beyond child cognitive skills and temperament. To this end, mothers’ sensitivity and non-intrusiveness were observed in play interactions and children’s behavior to interruptions in two difficult cooperative interactions was assessed at 24 months. Results revealed that maternal intrusiveness was related to child disengagement from the task and approach to the mother. Yet, active help seeking was predicted only by toddler cognitive skills, while reengagement of the experimenter was predicted neither by maternal nor by child characteristics. The study supports the notion that maternal behavior plays a significant role in young children’s use of specific behavioral strategies in frustrating situations. Overall, the current thesis supports specific relations of caregiver–child relationship aspects and young children’s attentional and behavioral regulation. In the preschool period and the toddler period, attachment security (Study 1) and maternal emotional availability (Study 2) are related to children’s attention to emotional facial expressions. Yet, effects are more pronounced in relation to negative emotions and for influences of attachment security and sensitivity. Furthermore, in the toddler period, dimensions of maternal emotional availability contribute differently to the development of attentional and behavioral regulation strategies. While sensitive caregiving is an important factor in toddlers’ attention to positive and negative emotions, intrusive caregiving plays a crucial role for toddlers’ attentional avoidance of negative emotions and for their behavioral disengagement form difficult interactions. In conclusion, the current thesis contributes to a better understanding of the role of caregiver–child relationship quality in young children’s emotion regulation and provides implications for research on child socioemotional development.

• Dokumententyp: Dissertationen (Dissertation, LMU München)
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie
• Fakultäten: Fakultät für Psychologie und Pädagogik
• Sprache der Hochschulschrift: Englisch
• Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 19. November 2021
• 1. Bericht­erstatter:in: Paulus, Markus