TY - JOUR
T1 - Maternal prenatal conditional regard orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour as predictors of preschoolers’ helpless coping with failure
T2 - A prospective study
AU - Assor, Avi
AU - Buhnick-Atzil, Ortal
AU - Rabinovitz-Magen, Liat
AU - Auerbach, Judith
AU - Kanat-Maymon, Yaniv
AU - Smiley, Patricia
AU - Moed, Anat
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2020/11/1
Y1 - 2020/11/1
N2 - Based on Self-Determination theory, we examined three hypotheses: (1) mothers’ achievement-oriented controlling behaviour towards their toddlers predicts children’s helpless coping with failure three years later, (2) mothers’ prenatal orientation to use conditional regard (CR) to promote children’s achievements predicts postnatal controlling behaviour, and (3) the effects of mothers’ prenatal CR-orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour emerge also after controlling for the effects of infants’ temperament disposition towards frustration-reactivity. A four-wave study assessed expectant mothers’ CR-orientation (n = 290), their 8-month-old infants’ frustration-reactivity (n = 184), mothers’ controlling behaviour with their 18-month olds (n = 201), and children’s helpless coping with unsolvable puzzles at 54–60 months (n = 200). No systematic attrition effects were detected. Results supported the hypotheses, and, in addition, suggested that prenatal CR-orientation has an indirect effect on preschoolers’ helplessness, via mothers’ postnatal controlling behaviour. The findings suggest that mothers’ achievement-oriented prenatal CR-orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour may be risk factors that can be addressed in early prevention programs.
AB - Based on Self-Determination theory, we examined three hypotheses: (1) mothers’ achievement-oriented controlling behaviour towards their toddlers predicts children’s helpless coping with failure three years later, (2) mothers’ prenatal orientation to use conditional regard (CR) to promote children’s achievements predicts postnatal controlling behaviour, and (3) the effects of mothers’ prenatal CR-orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour emerge also after controlling for the effects of infants’ temperament disposition towards frustration-reactivity. A four-wave study assessed expectant mothers’ CR-orientation (n = 290), their 8-month-old infants’ frustration-reactivity (n = 184), mothers’ controlling behaviour with their 18-month olds (n = 201), and children’s helpless coping with unsolvable puzzles at 54–60 months (n = 200). No systematic attrition effects were detected. Results supported the hypotheses, and, in addition, suggested that prenatal CR-orientation has an indirect effect on preschoolers’ helplessness, via mothers’ postnatal controlling behaviour. The findings suggest that mothers’ achievement-oriented prenatal CR-orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour may be risk factors that can be addressed in early prevention programs.
KW - Conditional regard
KW - frustration reactivity
KW - helplessness
KW - parental control
KW - self-determination theory
KW - temperament
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092520610&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17405629.2020.1822162
DO - 10.1080/17405629.2020.1822162
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85092520610
SN - 1740-5629
VL - 17
SP - 828
EP - 854
JO - European Journal of Developmental Psychology
JF - European Journal of Developmental Psychology
IS - 6
ER -