Early Family Relationships Predict Children's Emotion Regulation and Defense Mechanisms

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3386238
AutoresJallu Lindblom (0000-0003-4636-1226, Tampere University, autor correspondente), Raija-Leena Punamäki (0000-0003-4385-3073, Tampere University), Marjo Flykt (0000-0003-0874-4357, Tampere University), Mervi Vänskä (0000-0002-7412-5012, Tampere University), Tapio Nummi (0000-0001-8682-6951, Tampere University), Jari Sinkkonen (0000-0001-8228-1819, University of Turku), Aila Tiitinen (0000-0003-3088-5594, University of Helsinki), Maija Tulppala (University of Helsinki)
Ano2016
Volume6
Fascículo4
Páginas215824401668139
Data de publicação2016-10-01
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSAGE Open (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/2158244016681393
OpenAlexW2560500893
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas78

Early family relationships have been suggested to influence the development of children's affect regulation, involving both emotion regulation and defense mechanisms. However, we lack research on the specific family predictors for these two forms of affect regulation, which have been conceptualized to differ in their functions and accessibility to consciousness. Accordingly, we examine how the (a) quality and (b) timing of family relationships during infancy predict child's later emotion regulation and defense mechanisms. Parents ( N = 703) reported autonomy and intimacy in marital and parenting relationships at the child's ages of 2 and 12 months, and the child's use of emotion regulation and immature and neurotic defenses at 7 to 8 years. As hypothesized, the results showed that functional early family relationships predicted children's efficient emotion regulation, whereas dysfunctional relationships predicted reliance on defense mechanisms in middle childhood. Further, results showed a timing effect for neurotic defenses, partially confirming our hypothesis of early infancy being an especially important period for the development of defense mechanisms. The findings are discussed from the viewpoints of attachment and family dynamics, emotional self-awareness, and sense of security

Autonomy · Developmental psychology · Dysfunctional family · Early childhood · Emotional development · Neuroticism · Personality · Social change · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology

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