ERIC Number: EJ1367015
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Dec
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: EISSN-1939-0599
Available Date: N/A
Mothers' Aversion Sensitivity and Reciprocal Negativity in Mother-Child Interactions: Implications for Coercion Theory
Developmental Psychology, v58 n12 p2239-2251 Dec 2022
Coercion theory well characterizes the behavioral aspects that often lead to dysfunctional family processes. Recent conceptualizations have incorporated emotion into models of coercive interactions, yet empirical evidence has been limited. In this study, repeated measures of mother-child dyads (N = 319) were assessed over the course of 2 years to examine whether within-mother (i.e., intraindividual) levels of aversion sensitivity--their negative emotional arousal when faced with aversive child behavior--are associated with four known components of coercive parent-child interactions: initiation, length, frequency, and the tendency to end the negative cycle. During multiple assessments over 2 years, conflictual conversations between newly divorced mothers (M[subscript baseline age] = 36.8, SD[subscript baseline age] = 6.6; 64% non-Hispanic White) and their 4- to 11-year-old children (M [subscript baseline age] = 7.77, SD[subscript baseline age] = 2.0; 52% female) were observed and microcoded. Forty-seven observed child behaviors were ranked from low to high aversive. Mothers' general rates of negative emotional expression and the rates at which their negative expression increased as children's behavior became increasingly aversive (i.e., their aversion sensitivity) were recorded. Results were consistent with coercion theory, revealing significant within-dyad associations between mothers' aversion sensitivity and all four components of coercive parent-child interactions. These findings suggest the importance of understanding the functions that parents' intraindividual emotional processes have in difficult, coercive family processes. Understanding such processes holds promise for clarifying how to intervene to reduce parent-child interactions known to be problematic for children's development.
Descriptors: Mothers, Children, Emotional Response, Child Behavior, Behavior Problems, Divorce, Responses, Mother Attitudes, Parent Child Relationship, Parent Influence, Parenting Styles, Negative Attitudes, Interaction, Conflict
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A