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Article
The Moderating Effects of Maternal Age at Childbirth and Emotion Dysregulation on the Intergenerational Continuity of Emotionally Unsupportive Parenting Behaviors
Journal of Family Issues (2017)
  • Courtney McCullough, University of Georgia
  • Zhuo Rachel Han, Beijing Normal University
  • Diana M. Morelen, University of Michigan
  • Anne Shaffer, University of Georgia
Abstract
Little research has investigated factors that may moderate the intergenerational transmission of emotionally unsupportive parenting behaviors. The present study examined the role of two moderators, emotion dysregulation and maternal age at childbirth, on the relation between maternal childhood history of emotional maltreatment and current observations of emotionally unsupportive parenting behaviors in 64 mother–child dyads. Results indicated that mothers who were younger at childbirth seemed more likely to engage in emotionally unsupportive parenting behaviors in the context of high levels of sustained childhood emotional maltreatment, regardless of their level of emotion dysregulation. Mothers who were older at childbirth were at high risk for emotionally unsupportive parenting behaviors in the context of high levels of sustained emotional maltreatment histories and high emotion dysregulation, yet were not at such risk if emotion dysregulation was low. Implications for the buffering effects of emotion regulation on the risk for emotionally unsupportive behaviors were discussed.
Keywords
  • emotional maltreatment,
  • emotion dysregulation,
  • intergenerational continuity of parenting,
  • maternal age at childbirth
Publication Date
May 1, 2017
DOI
10.1177/0192513X15597290
Citation Information
Courtney McCullough, Zhuo Rachel Han, Diana M. Morelen and Anne Shaffer. "The Moderating Effects of Maternal Age at Childbirth and Emotion Dysregulation on the Intergenerational Continuity of Emotionally Unsupportive Parenting Behaviors" Journal of Family Issues Vol. 38 Iss. 7 (2017) p. 948 - 971 ISSN: 0192-513X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/diana-morelen/8/