Marital Conflict and the Quality of Young Children's Peer Play Behavior: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Parent-Child Emotional Reciprocity and Attachment Security

Parent-child attachment security and dyadic measures of parent-child positive and negative emotional reciprocity were examined as possible mediators and moderators of the connection between marital conflict and children's peer play behavior. Eighty parents were observed in a laboratory play ses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family psychology 2009-04, Vol.23 (2), p.130-145
Main Authors: Lindsey, Eric W, Caldera, Yvonne M, Tankersley, Laura
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attachment
Attachment Behavior
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Child Behavior - psychology
Child development
Child, Preschool
Childhood Play Behavior
Children
Children & youth
Developmental psychology
Emotions - physiology
Family Conflict - psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Infant
Kansas
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Marital conflict
Marital Relations
Marriage
Newborn. Infant
Object Attachment
Parent Child Relations
Parent-Child relationships
Parents & parenting
Peer Group
Peer Relations
Peer relationships
Play and Playthings - psychology
Psychological aspects
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reciprocity
Social conflict
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Summary:Parent-child attachment security and dyadic measures of parent-child positive and negative emotional reciprocity were examined as possible mediators and moderators of the connection between marital conflict and children's peer play behavior. Eighty parents were observed in a laboratory play session with their 15- to 18-month-old child. Subsequently, at 36 months children were observed interacting with peers at their child care setting. Connections between marital conflict and children's positive peer interaction were mediated by mother-child attachment security, mother-child positive emotional reciprocity, and father-child negative emotional reciprocity. Connections between marital conflict and children's negative peer interaction were mediated by mother-child positive emotional reciprocity and father-child attachment security. Parent-child attachment security and negative emotional reciprocity emerged as important moderators of the connection between marital conflict and children's peer play behavior.
ISSN:0893-3200
1939-1293
DOI:10.1037/a0014972