Article
Emotion expression among abusive mothers is associated with their children's emotion processing and problem behaviours
Cognition and Emotion
(2010)
Abstract
The current study evaluated the quality of facial and vocal emotional expressions in abusive and nonabusive
mothers, and assessed whether mothers’ emotional expression quality was related to their
children’s cognitive processing of emotion and behavioural problems. Relative to non-abusive
mothers, abusive mothers produced less prototypical angry facial expressions, and less prototypical
angry, happy, and sad vocal expressions. The intensity of mothers’ facial and vocal expressions of
anger was related to their children’s externalising and internalising symptoms. Additionally,
children’s cognitive processing of their mothers’ angry faces was related to the quality of mothers’
facial expressions. Results are discussed with respect to the impact of early emotional learning
environments on children’s socioemotional development and risk for psychopathology.
Keywords
- Facial expressions,
- Vocal expressions,
- Physical abuse,
- Psychopathology,
- Mothers
Disciplines
Publication Date
2010
DOI
10.1080/02699930903399376
Citation Information
Jessica E. Shackman, Serah S. Fatani, Linda A. Camras, Michael J. Berkowitz, et al.. "Emotion expression among abusive mothers is associated with their children's emotion processing and problem behaviours" Cognition and Emotion Vol. 24 Iss. 8 (2010) p. 1421 - 1430 ISSN: 0269-9931 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/linda_camras/53/