The Indirect Effects of Maternal Emotion Socialization on Friendship Quality in Middle Childhood

Emotion development processes have long been linked to social competence in early childhood but rarely have these associations been examined in middle childhood or with relational outcomes. Guided by theories of interpersonal relationships and emotion socialization, the current study was designed to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2014-02, Vol.50 (2), p.566-576
Main Authors: Blair, Bethany L., Perry, Nicole B., O'Brien, Marion, Calkins, Susan D., Keane, Susan P., Shanahan, Lilly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Chi-Square Distribution
Child
Child Behavior Checklist
Child development
Child, Preschool
Childhood
Childhood Development
Children
Children & youth
Developmental psychology
Emotional Development
Emotional Regulation
Emotions
Female
Friendship
Friendships
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender Differences
Human
Humans
Internal-External Control
Interpersonal Competence
Interpersonal Relations
Interpersonal Relationship
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mother-Child Relations
Mothers
Mothers - psychology
Parent Influence
Path Analysis
Peer Relations
Psychological Patterns
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Sex Characteristics
Social Development
Social Skills
Socialization
Teachers
Young Children
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Summary:Emotion development processes have long been linked to social competence in early childhood but rarely have these associations been examined in middle childhood or with relational outcomes. Guided by theories of interpersonal relationships and emotion socialization, the current study was designed to fill these gaps by examining a longitudinal process model indirectly linking emotion development to friendship quality. Data were drawn from 336 children (179 girls, 65% White), their mothers, and their teachers across 3 time points spanning the ages of 5-10 years. A path analysis model was utilized to examine the way in which maternal emotion socialization indirectly affects children's friendship quality. Results supported the hypothesized model in which maternal emotion socialization strategies used when children were age 5 were associated with changes in friendship quality from ages 7 to 10 via changes in children's emotion regulation. Findings highlight the importance of emotional processes for relational outcomes in middle childhood.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/a0033532