| Description |
This thesis examined the intergenerational impacts of maternal attachment style (as assessed by their knowledge of the secure base script) and maternal emotion regulation abilities for their children's social-emotional abilities. I hypothesized that mothers with higher secure base script knowledge and fewer difficulties regulating their emotions would have children with fewer emotional and behavioral problems, fewer regulatory difficulties, and more social-emotional competencies. This study used questionnaire and interview data collected from 84 mothers who were enrolled in the Baby Affect and Behavior Study (BABY) when they were pregnant and were longitudinally followed until the children were aged 36 months. Mother's secure base scripts were coded based on the stories they created using the word outlines from the Attachment Script Assessment. Mother's self-reported emotional regulatory abilities were assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Parents' reports of toddlers' social-emotional outcomes were assessed using the following four scales from the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment: internalizing behavior problems, externalizing behavior problems, dysregulation, and competence. Study results indicated that higher levels of maternal emotion dysregulation were significantly associated with increased toddler internalizing problems, higher levels of toddler externalizing behaviors, and greater overall toddler dysregulation. Additionally, secure base script knowledge was negatively associated with toddler externalizing behavior. Neither emotion dysregulation nor attachment scripts were associated with toddler competence. This research highlights the importance of maternal emotional health and attachment-related scripts in shaping toddler behavior. It further suggests that interventions supporting mothers' emotional regulation may positively impact child well-being and development. |
