Dyadic flexibility in early mother-child interactions: Associations with adolescent self-regulation and psychological adjustment
Li, Xiaomei
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121346
Description
Title
Dyadic flexibility in early mother-child interactions: Associations with adolescent self-regulation and psychological adjustment
Author(s)
Li, Xiaomei
Issue Date
2023-07-11
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
McElwain, Nancy L
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
McElwain, Nancy L
Tu, Kelly M
Committee Member(s)
Bost, Kelly K
Rudolph, Karen D
Telzer, Eva H
Department of Study
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Discipline
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
parent-child interaction
dyadic flexibility
psychological adjustment
Abstract
The quality of parent-child relational system early in life is the engine for children’s ongoing development and has enduring effects on their psychological adjustment in adolescence. Examining dynamic organizations of key interactive behaviors (e.g., affect expressions, sensitivity, and responsiveness) may provide valuable insights into parent-child relational functioning above and beyond the mere positive and negative nature of these behaviors. Indeed, limited dyadic affective flexibility during parent-child interactions (e.g., less variability in affect, difficulties and delays in modifying affect) has been linked with more emotional and behavioral problems within childhood and adolescence. Leveraging data from a 10-year longitudinal study among a community sample of 128 families (62 boys), I investigated the prospective association between mother-toddler dyadic flexibility and adolescent psychological adjustment, as well as the intervening roles of adolescent self-regulation and motivation in this association. Specifically, I analyzed mother-toddler affective and behavioral flexibility using state space grids based on observations of semi-structured play and snack sessions at 33 months. I derived latent factors for adolescent self-regulation abilities and motivation tendencies from an exploratory factor analysis of self-reported self-control, behavioral inhibition and approach, and decision-making at 13 years. I also assessed adolescent externalizing and internalizing symptoms from parent reports at 14 years. Partially consistent with my hypotheses, greater mother-toddler affective flexibility during play (but not snack), as well as behavioral flexibility during snack (but not play), prospectively predicted fewer externalizing symptoms. Similar trends, albeit nonsignificant, were observed for internalizing symptoms. These results emerged while accounting for demographic factors and other key individual and relational predictors of adolescent psychological adjustment. However, adolescent self-regulation (denoted by the self-control factor) or motivation (denoted by the behavioral inhibition and behavioral approach factors) did not serve as intervening mechanisms. Taken together, as emerging evidence converges on the unique advantage of greater dyadic affective flexibility, this dissertation provides novel evidence highlighting the long-term implication of structural variability in early parent-child dynamics for adolescent psychological adjustment. It also extends the scarce literature on the developmental significance of dyadic behavioral flexibility. Findings emphasize the importance of targeting rigid parent-child interaction patterns in intervention and prevention toward promoting adolescents’ well-being. To further our understanding of mechanisms linking early dyadic flexibility and adolescent psychological adjustment, future research may utilize performance-based measures of self-regulation and motivation, consider earlier developmental periods for identifying mechanisms, and incorporate other critical environmental features and individual characteristics that may serve as additional intervening factors.
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