The Valence of Parental Descriptions of the Child: Relations to Child Socioemotional and Behavioral Functioning and Caregiving Quality

Abstract

The valence of parental descriptions of their child’s personality may be an indicator of child difficulties as well as the nature of caregiving behavior within that parent–child relationship. The present project examined whether parental descriptions were associated with reported child socioemotional and behavioral problems and caregiving behavior in a sample of 233 parents (Mage = 35.62, SD = 4.14; 58% female) and their preschool-aged children (Mage= 4.49, SD = 0.82; 52% female). Negative descriptions of the child were associated with higher levels of reported child problems as well as parent overreactivity (i.e., caregiving characterized by negative emotionality directed toward the child and insensitive and harsh disciplining). Although negative descriptions did not statistically explain the relation between child problems and parent overreactivity as hypothesized, results of exploratory analyses supported alternative mediation pathways between these variables. The findings may suggest transactional associations between parental descriptions, caregiving behavior, and child functioning, though this cross-sectional design does not allow for temporal ordering to be established. Importantly, parental descriptions may indicate risk for maladaptive caregiving and child psychopathology and be useful for identifying parents for intervention.