Affiliation:
1. Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava
2. Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi
3. University of Minnesota
Abstract
AbstractA child’s ability to cope with stress is shaped by experiences in the parent-child relationship. The direct effect of a parent’s response to anger and happiness in childhood on adolescents’ and emerging adults’ psychological distress, and the indirect effect through the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies, specifically cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression, were measured. To achieve our research aim we tested four parallel mediation models, using the bootstrapping method. A group of 497 participants, aged between 14 and 35 years (M = 18.62;SD = 3.32), 66% female (n = 332) and 34% male (n = 165), completed a questionnaire comprised of self-reporting measures. The results indicate direct effects between emotion socialization and distress for seven independent variables. The mother’s and father’s positive responses to anger and happiness are significant negative predictors of distress, the negative responses of both parents to happiness, and the mother’s negative response to anger, but not the father’s, are significant positive predictors of distress. The findings also provide support for the mediating role of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal for the mother’s positive response to both, anger and happiness, as well as for the mother’s negative response to the child’s expression of happiness. None of father’s responses, positive or negative, in relation to anger or happiness, are mediated by emotion regulation strategies in relation to distress. The findings have some important theoretical and clinical implications for distressed adolescents and emerging adults.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC