In this study, latent growth modeling was used to look at mother’s and infants from 156 families to measure how the temperament in their infant was from 4 to 18 months of age, maternal stress, depression, negative parenting and family demographics. The study was to see what effects any or all have on temperament development. The main temperamental characteristics looked at in the infants, was their negative emotions (behavior) and regulatory capacity (response) because these are the main traits of temperament.
The latent growth modeling first found that the development of negative emotions in infants was because of maternal relationship stress and depression. This is because mother’s had more conflict with their spouse. Since they suffered depression, they used harsh punishment, were more negative, they didn’t want to parent or they just emotionally was not there. Sot those infants were more withdrawn and distressed, which resulted in high negativity thinking in the infants. Secondly, it found that if there is a high level of negative emotion early in infancy that can hinder the development of regulatory capacity.
This is also because of negative parenting and the maternal connection not being present. So the infant is more at risks to develop anxiety, aggression and oppositional behavior. Lastly, it was found that decreases in regulatory capacity can impact negative parenting in toddlerhood. That is because the more negative and withdrawn the parenting was, the less likely the infant was going to respond. So as the infant goes into toddlerhood and when the mother ask the child to follow a direction, the mother will have a harder time with the child completing what she asked because of the earlier practices in the child’s life.
Family demographics was briefly looked at. It concluded that larger families had more effective parenting strategies present than with a family with one child. Also children who are in high distress like poverty, suffered low effortful control. So when looking at the temperament development in the infant against the parenting, maternal and family influences, they all contribute to some characteristic of temperament being present in the child. The more contributing factor, the more affect it has on the child’s temperament.
While identifying these characteristics early, it can help incorporate better parenting practices and control the temperament in the child. Implications: In this article, I feel the development of temperament has a contextual influence. I feel this because if the child’s environment involves, a mother who is more stressed and depressed, like in this study, that results in; the interaction between the mother and the child to be more negative and less affection. That grows into behavioral problems with the child, making the temperament more difficult and parenting harsher.
Then the child’s outside relationships with other peers or adults are more difficult because they have no control of themselves, are more aggressive, or distant from others. So the environment the infant develops in definitely impacts the temperament level as they grow. The latent growth modeling that was used in this study can be beneficial to child development when it comes to identifying temperament development in a child because it looks not only at the negative emotions and control of the child, but maternal and family factors as well.
Looking at the bigger picture or more than one area, can help eliminate or narrow down the temperamental development in the child. In return, that can help the parents and the families build a better relationship with one another and have a more positive than negative environment. Reactions: I feel temperament characteristics needs to be looked at during the infant stages rather than starting later when the terrible-two stage, for example, rolls around.
I say this because behavior develops at infancy. If a parent does not know the important characteristics of their child, like what makes them upset or calms them down, that behavior will only continue to grow and get worse. Which can make the parenting more difficult and negative throughout the child’s life. Also looking even further at the self-control and focus of an infant, I feel are also important too because they are some of the main red flags in a difficult temperament emerging.
Being alert as a parent to see or identify these characteristics early on can help the family incorporate better parenting techniques and keep temperament levels low or managed. The study also noted that the environment and maternal factors play a role in the temperament of the infant. This also is good to understand and pay attention to because the infant may have been born with a lower temperament but if they come from a poor environment, parents fighting, mom being depressed, or any other negative factors like that, it contributes to the infant forming high levels of negative emotion and reduced control.
Those are indicators of a higher temperament and can affect the parent-child relationship and parenting. Even though the study looked at the temperament characteristics of the child, the environment the child is in, and maternal factors, they did not look at the father’s side of parenting. Maybe the lack of a father around causes higher levels of temperament in the child. I don’t know and can’t conclude that. So the father side should be included in the study since parenting involves the father’s too.
