Parent Emotional Functioning, Parent Responsiveness, and Child Adjustment

Authors

Melody Whiddon, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Major/Program

Psychology

First Advisor's Name

Marilyn Montgomery

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Martha Pelaez

Third Advisor's Name

Mary Levitt

Fourth Advisor's Name

William Kurtines

Keywords

child adjustment, parent-child interaction, attachment, emotional intelligence

Date of Defense

1-7-2009

Abstract

Over the past two decades, interest in the psychological development of children has steadily increased (Beg, Casey, & Saunders, 2007), presumably because statistics describing childhood psychological illness are alarming. Certain parent interaction styles or behaviors are known to influence child adjustment. According to attachment theory, the reason for these findings is that interaction with a caregiver informs an individual’s construction of an internal working model (IWM) of the self in relation to others in the environment. The purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding of the factors contributing to child adjustment by examining the influence of parents’ emotional functioning and parent responsiveness to children’s bids for interaction. This dissertation tested a multivariate model of attachment-related processes and outcomes with an ethnically diverse sample. Results partially supported the model, in that parent emotional intelligence predicted some aspects of child adjustment. Overall, the study adds to knowledge about how parent characteristics influence child adjustment and provides support for conceptualizing emotional intelligence as a concrete and observable manifestation of the nonconscious attachment IWM.

Identifier

FI10022560

Recommended Citation

Whiddon, Melody, "Parent Emotional Functioning, Parent Responsiveness, and Child Adjustment" (2009). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 223.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/223