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Date Permissions Signed

1-16-2013

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Schudlich, Tina Dawn Du Rocher

Second Advisor

Goodvin, Rebecca

Third Advisor

Lehman, Barbara J.

Abstract

Emotion understanding is a necessary ability for young children to develop, as this competence helps children navigate their social world. Parents offer a rich environment for children to learn about emotion, but to date little is known about how interparental conflict relates to children's growing emotion understanding. From a family systems perspective, it is important to consider not only how conflict behaviors may be connected with children' emotion understanding directly, but also indirectly through changes in parenting behaviors. In this study interparental conflict tactics and related parenting behaviors of both mothers and fathers were examined in relation to children's emotion understanding. At Time 1, seventy-four families participated and parents' conflict and parenting behaviors were observed with their infants present. Thirty families returned when children were of the preschool age and children's emotion understanding was assessed. Significant associations emerged for fathers', but not mothers', conflict styles in relation to children's emotion understanding. Contrary to expectations, fathers' use of constructive conflict was negatively associated with children's emotion understanding, whereas fathers' use of depressive conflict was related to higher levels of children's emotion understanding. Implications for how these processes relate to children's emotion understanding in the broader context of the family emotional climate and children's developmental level are discussed.

Type

Text

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25710/7p9n-g530

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

826637883

Subject – LCSH

Emotions in children; Marital conflict--Psychological aspects; Parental influences--Psychological aspects; Parent and child; Emotional intelligence

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

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