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Identifying the temperamental roots of children's patterns of security in the interparental relationship

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2015

Patrick T. Davies ,
Rochelle F. Hentges  and
Melissa L. Sturge-Apple
Patrick T. Davies*
Affiliation:
University of Rochester
Rochelle F. Hentges
Affiliation:
University of Rochester
Melissa L. Sturge-Apple
Affiliation:
University of Rochester
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Patrick Davies, Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627. E-mail: patrick.davies@rochester.edu.
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Abstract

Guided by emotional security theory, this study examined the temperamental precursors of distinctive profiles of children's responses to interparental conflict. Participants included 243 children (M = 4.6 years) and their parents across two annual measurement occasions. Temperamental constructs of frustration proneness, approach, positive affect, activity level, and effortful control were assessed through multiple methods, informants, and contexts. Behavioral observations of children's responses to interparental conflict at each wave yielded four profiles: secure (i.e., efficiently address direct threat), mobilizing (i.e., vigilance to potential threat and social opportunities), dominant (i.e., directly defeat threat), and demobilizing (i.e., reduce salience as a target of hostility). Results supported hypotheses on the distinct constellations of temperament in predicting subsequent change in the four security profiles.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , May 2016 , pp. 355 - 370
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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