University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2008 Maternal Sensitivity As a Mediator of Maternal History of Care and Children's Emotion Regulation and Attachment at 2 ½ Years of Age Patricia Barrig Jo University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Recommended Citation Barrig Jo, Patricia, "Maternal Sensitivity As a Mediator of Maternal History of Care and Children's Emotion Regulation and Attachment at 2 ½ Years of Age" (2008). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 18. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/18 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MATERNAL SENSITIVITY AS A MEDIATOR OF MATERNAL HISTORY OF CARE AND CHILDREN‟S EMOTION REGULATION AND ATTACHMENT AT 2 ½ YEARS OF AGE A Dissertation Presented by Patricia S. Bárrig Jó to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Psychology October, 2008 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy specializing in Psychology. Dissertation Examination Committee: Advisor Susan Crockenberg, Ph.D. GzLebm = PmA-TJ Sondra Solomon, Ph.D. Rex Forehand, Ph.D. Chairperson Patricia Prelock, Ph.D. .'r,i'. Vice President for .~rafi<esE. Carr, Ph.D. - Research and Dean of the Graduate College Date: August 251h, 2008 Abstract The aim of this study was to determine whether maternal sensitivity acts as a mediator in the associations between a mother‟s childhood history of care and her child‟s emotion regulation and attachment security at 2 ½ years of age. It was hypothesized that children of mothers who perceived their own childhood experiences with parents as caring and accepting would display more adaptive regulatory behaviors in fear-eliciting contexts and be more securely attached than children of mothers who recollected rejection in their own childhood experiences, with maternal sensitivity mediating these associations. Participants were 82 toddlers and their mothers. Mothers rated their childhood experiences of care and acceptance with their own parents prior to the laboratory procedure. Each child was presented with four novel stimuli, with mothers present, but not involved for the first two tasks and involved in the remaining two. Presentation of the novel stimuli was in pairs including one toy task (i.e., monster or robot) and one person task (i.e., clown or masks). Children‟s emotion regulation behaviors were coded continuously during the mother not involved condition, whereas observed maternal sensitivity was rated in the mother involved condition. Information about maternal sensitivity and children‟s attachment behaviors was reported by mothers using a diary technique. A path analysis was used to test the model examining the relationship between maternal history of care and sensitivity and children‟s attachment security and emotion regulation behaviors (i.e., distraction, withdrawal, contact with mother). Maternal sensitivity mediated the association between a mother‟s childhood history of care and acceptance and child attachment. Post-hoc analysis showed that this conditional indirect effect was significant only for children of mothers with less than a complete college education. In contrast, a childhood history of care and acceptance did not predict children‟s emotional regulation behaviors, although it interacted with education to predict distraction. Maternal sensitivity was associated positively with distraction and negatively with withdrawal, whereas children‟s attachment security was not associated with any emotion regulation behavior. Results are discussed in relation to attachment theory and continuities and discontinuities in the transmission process in mother-child relationships. Dedication This paper is dedicated to my family; my father Ricardo, who is not longer with us, my mother Susana, my sisters Jessica and Claudia, my brothers Ricardo, Gustavo, and Fernando, my niece Estefanía, my nephew Nicolás, and my granny Irma. ii Acknowledgements I gratefully thank all the children and their families that dedicated their time and enthusiasm in this project. I could not have done this study without their valuable collaboration. My endless appreciation to the members of my committee, Drs. Heather Bouchey, Sondra Solomon, Rex Forehand, and Patricia Prelock for their precious time, advice, and guidance, and especially to my advisor Dr. Susan Crockenberg for her constant positive attitude, commitment, and determination, all of which have facilitated me get through graduate school by following and learning from her high academic standards. A special thank you is for the research team, graduate and undergraduate students that assisted me throughout the process by collecting data, videotaping, coding videotapes, coding diaries, entering data, sharing thoughts and suggestions, among other activities: Isabel García-Fullana, Shannon Leggett, Allison Shapiro, Rebecca Walaszek, Carolyn Sanchez, Rachel Vitale, Lindsay Buzzell, Karen Hilton, Benjamin Kilinski, Corryn Leccese, Jessica Simpson, Heather Chenette, Jennifer Coates, Christina Flood, Alessandra Kostolitz, Anne Matysek, Elizabeth Hooker, Lisa Mayer, Curlene Hunte, Jessica-Lyn Wagar, and Kristin Mount. I truly appreciate Shamila Lekka, Laura Selkirk, Erin Shoulberg, Patti Cilwik, and Alexandra Thanellou for all their support and expertise provided at numerous moments in the process. In addition, I would like to thank Mary Gauvin, Diana St Louis, Holly Olmstead, Gail Kirby, Clare Green, and Mike George for all their infinite assistance and encouragement during my graduate years. A special acknowledgment to Gale Weld for iii her invaluable support with the review process of this project. I also express my gratitude to Carol Czaja and Ted Wachs for their continuous confidence and trust and to Garene Kaloustian for easing any hard moments I have had in the journey. A final thank you is for Mike Appelhans for being there for me at all times. My recognition is to all members of the Child and Adolescent Psychology Training and Research, Inc., especially Lynne Bond and Kelly Allen, for their financial support and patience. iv Table of Contents DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................viii INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 1 MATERNAL DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY AND MATERNAL SENSITIVITY ............................ 2 ATTACHMENT THEORY ..................................................................................................................................... 2 PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE-REJECTION THEORY .......................................................................................... 5 PARENTAL BONDING PATTERNS ..................................................................................................................... 6 METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ......................................................................................................... 7 MATERNAL SENSITIVITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTION REGULATION ............. 8 CHILDREN’S EMOTION REGULATION ............................................................................................. 10 DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES IN EMOTION REGULATION ...................................................................... 12 EMOTION REGULATION AND ATTACHMENT ............................................................................................. 13 REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ................................................................................................ 16 MATERNAL CHILDHOOD HISTORY AND MATERNAL SENSITIVITY ..................................................... 16 MATERNAL SENSITIVITY AND EMOTION REGULATION ......................................................................... 17 CHILDREN‟S EMOTION REGULATION: CONTEXT AND EFFECTIVENESS ............................................ 20 EMOTION REGULATION AND ATTACHMENT ............................................................................................. 26 CURRENT STUDY ..................................................................................................................................... 28 METHOD ..................................................................................................................................................... 29 PARTICIPANTS .................................................................................................................................................... 29 PROCEDURES