(PS12-43) Predictors of Parent-observer Discrepancies in Maternal Emotion Socialization

Introduction: The Tripartite Model of Children’s Emotion Regulation indicates that children learn about emotions through parental observation, emotion-related parenting practices, and the emotional climate of the family (Morris et al., 2011). Given maternal emotion socialization (ES) is one of the primary ways in which children learn to process emotional experiences, reliable assessment of ES is critical. Research suggests that discrepancies often exist between mothers’ reports of ES strategies and in-vivo ES behaviors during parent-child interactions (Moens et al., 2018). Prior work has primarily focused on aspects of negative emotion parenting that exacerbate parent-observer ES discrepancies, while little is known about how positive emotion parenting influences parent-observer ES discrepancies. Yet, parents who feel efficacious in their parenting role and model healthy emotion regulation strategies may demonstrate greater consistency in ES self-reports and behaviors. Therefore, this study examines associations between positive emotion parenting and parent-observer ES discrepancies in a sample of mothers and their school-age children. It is hypothesized that parent-observer discrepancies in supportive parenting and positive and negative affect expression will be reduced in the context of high parenting self-efficacy and problem-solving coping. This study can provide insight into how positive emotion-parenting influences parent-observer discrepancies thereby contributing critical knowledge about multi-method approaches to the assessment of maternal ES.

Methods: The full sample of 80 mothers (M = 35.97, SD = 5.46) and their five- to seven-year-old children (M = 5.88, SD = .80) has been collected. Mothers identified as 50% White, 30% Black, 12.5% Hispanic or Latinx, 6.25% Asian, and 1.25% Biracial (Black and White). Mothers completed questionnaires and dyads engaged in a 5-minute stress task in which children were asked to complete a developmentally advanced LEGO figure. Supportive parenting was assessed with the Parents’ Reactions to Children’s Positive Emotions Scale (Ladouceur et al., 2002), Emotions as a Child Scale (Klimes-Dougan et al., 2001), and behavioral observations of supportive parenting. Positive and negative affect expression was assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule questionnaire (Watson et al., 1988) and behavioral observations of positive and negative affect. Mothers reported on parenting self-efficacy (Me as a Parent Questionnaire; Hamilton et al., 2015) and problem-focused coping (Brief COPE; Carver, 1997).

Data Feasibility: Analyses are underway and will be fully completed by the time of the conference. Analyses consist of a restricted correlated trait-correlated method minus one [CTC(M-1)] model using parent- and observer-report in Mplus. The model is computing semi partial correlations to assess the association between positive maternal parenting factors and parent-observer discrepancies (see Geiser et al., 2012 for further analyses information).