Abstract
A theoretical model proposed by Eisenberg et al. (1998) argues that various antecedents may contribute to parental emotion socialization. However, empirical evidence for this is scarce and limited to a few cultural contexts. This study investigated the influence of maternal personality, reappraisal, and marital quality on determining maternal emotion socialization with preschool children. A sample of Japanese mothers (N = 604) with children aged 2–5 years old completed a battery of questionnaires measuring maternal response to child anger, big five personality, reappraisal, and marital quality. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that mothers’ higher openness and agreeableness were associated with more coaching via reappraisal and higher extraversion was associated with more coaching directly and indirectly via marital quality. It also showed that higher agreeableness was directly associated with less dysfunction; moreover, higher neuroticism was directly associated with more dismissing and dysfunction and higher conscientiousness was directly associated with less noninvolvement. This study is among the first to highlight whether and how specific personality traits were associated with maternal emotion socialization of child anger. Additionally, the findings provide preliminary support for targeting reappraisal and marital quality in emotion-related parenting practice. They also inform the detection, prevention, and intervention of unsupportive maternal emotion socialization.
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The datasets generated for the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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References
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This research was partly supported by grants to Michiyo Kato, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, No. 17K04338. This research was partly supported by grants to Bao Jing, Scientific Research Foundation for Youth Scholars of Shanghai Ocean University, No. A2-2006-23-200301.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Bao Jing and Kato Michiyo. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Bao Jing and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Jing, B., Michiyo, K. Associations between maternal personality and response to children’s anger: the roles of reappraisal and marital quality. Curr Psychol 43, 10737–10747 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05172-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05172-1