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Emotion Regulation and Parent Distress: Getting at the Heart of Sensitive Parenting among Parents of Preschool Children Experiencing High Sociodemographic Risk

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Abstract

Objectives

Sensitive parenting requires modulation of emotions in order to effectively organize and orient behavioral responses. There is considerable evidence that psychological distress can impair sensitive parenting practices, and also that psychological distress is associated with deficits in emotion regulation capacities. The negative effect that psychological distress has on parents’ emotion regulation capacities may be a mechanistic pathway through which psychological distress impacts parenting, as dysregulated emotions may be more proximal to parenting behaviors than distress itself; however, this specific link between psychological distress, emotion regulation, and parenting is not often examined in parenting models.

Methods

The current study tested these relations in a high sociodemographic risk community-sample, oversampled for violence exposure, of caregivers of preschoolers. Caregivers self-reported on their psychological distress and emotion regulation difficulties. Parent sensitivity was assessed via observations of parent–child interactions.

Results

Results indicated that difficulties in emotion regulation were a mediator for the relation between parents’ psychological distress and sensitive parenting behaviors. Difficulties in emotion regulation predicted decreased sensitivity above and beyond the effect of psychological distress.

Conclusions

These findings emphasize the importance of regulation of emotional reactions in order to orient and engage in sensitive parenting behaviors. Additionally, they suggest clinically that supporting parents’ emotion regulation capacities specifically may promote more sensitive parenting in contexts of parental psychological distress.

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Authors’ Contributions

J.C.: With the support of S.G., designed and executed this study, these analyses, and wrote the paper. A.C., A.H., D.F., and S.G.: collaborated with the design and writing of the overarching study and provided feedback on manuscript drafts.

Funding

This work was supported by the Melissa Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, National Institutes of Health K23MH119047 (SG), and the University of Massachusetts Boston Dean’s Office.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Tulane University, 6400 Freret Street, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Justin Carreras & Sarah A. O. Gray

  2. University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Alice S. Carter & Danielle Forbes

  3. Boston College, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy Heberle

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Carreras, J., Carter, A.S., Heberle, A. et al. Emotion Regulation and Parent Distress: Getting at the Heart of Sensitive Parenting among Parents of Preschool Children Experiencing High Sociodemographic Risk. J Child Fam Stud 28, 2953–2962 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01471-z

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