Stressor Context and Temperament as Moderators of the Link Between Emotion Socialization and Child Psychopathology

Abstract

Caregiver emotion socialization (ES) may help children to manage negative emotions arising from life stressors, but little research has examined whether the adaptiveness of ES strategies is impacted by the characteristics of the stressor or child. Although supportive emotion socialization (ES) has been linked to better child adjustment, growing research has found that the impact of ES can vary based on child context and temperament. The varying demands of different stressors may require caregivers to use different ES strategies to support their children. Additionally, children’s negative affectivity (NA) may influence children respond to stressors as well as to their parents’ ES strategies. The study examined stressor type and child NA as moderators of the impact of ES on child psychopathology. Data were collected from two studies, one of children with cancer and one of children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). Combined across samples, 231 caregiver-child dyads took part in the studies. At the time of study enrollment, children were aged two to seventeen (M = 7.02, SD = 3.42, 52.3% female, 47.7% male). Caregivers completed questionnaires on child NA, psychopathology and ES. Emotion acceptance was linked to a higher probability of having internalizing symptoms and greater externalizing symptoms among children with high NA. Emotion coaching was linked to lower externalizing symptoms as well as lower probability of having internalizing symptoms among children with high NA. Stressor type did not significantly moderate these associations. Findings highlight the importance of emotion coaching as a protective factor for children experiencing life stressors as well as the differential impact of ES strategies based on child temperament.