Genetic and Environmental Influences on Associations Among Parenting and Child Negative Emotionality

Parents’ responses to their children influences children’s emotion development, however few studies have examined how children may influence how their parents respond to them. Using the Early Growth and Development Study... [ view full abstract ]

Parents’ responses to their children influences children’s emotion development, however few studies have examined how children may influence how their parents respond to them. Using the Early Growth and Development Study (N = 561), we examined how birth mother (BM) personality factors (negative affect vs. control, orienting sensitivity, and agreeableness) influenced child negative emotionality (Child Behavior Questionnaire) at 4.5 years, and the subsequent associations with hostile or warm (Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales) reactions from their adoptive parents (adoptive mother (AM) and father (AF)) at child age 6 and on later child behavior problems at child age 7 (Child Behavior Checklist).

Several key indirect associations are noteworthy. High levels of BM control (β = -.20) and orienting sensitivity (β = -.13) evoked less warmth from AM at child age 6 which in turn was associated with more child externalizing problems a year later (β  = -.17). Child sadness at 4.5 years evoked less warmth from AM at 6 years (β  = -.15), which was in turn associated with more child externalizing problems at 7 years (β = -.17). For the hostility models, child anger at child age 4.5 years evoked more hostility from both adoptive parents at child age 6 (AM: β  = .15; AF: β  = .28), which was associated with more child externalizing (AM: β  =  .28; AF: β  =  .29) and internalizing problems (AF: β  =  .25). Higher levels of BM negative affect evoked more AF hostility (β  =  -.13), which was associated with more child internalizing (β  =.25) and externalizing problems (β  = .29) a year later. These findings support prior research demonstrating the evocative role of children in parent-child interactions, and provide evidence that a portion of this association is heritable. The results also show that different types of negative emotions in children elicit different responses from parents.