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. 2022 Nov;58(11):2127-2139.
doi: 10.1037/dev0001428. Epub 2022 Sep 1.

Mothers' and fathers' mind-mindedness in infancy and toddlerhood predict their children's self-regulation at preschool age

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Mothers' and fathers' mind-mindedness in infancy and toddlerhood predict their children's self-regulation at preschool age

Milica Nikolić et al. Dev Psychol. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

The ability to regulate one's emotions and behaviors is essential for adaptive functioning in society. We investigated whether parental mind-mindedness-parents' tendency to treat their children as mental agents-in infancy and toddlerhood predicts school-age children's self-regulation. The sample consisted of 125 mostly Dutch and White families. We assessed mothers' and fathers' appropriate and nonattuned mind-related comments during free play with their 12- and 30-month-old child (70 girls and 55 boys). We measured children's physiological, temperamental, and behavioral self-regulation when children were 4 1/2 years old. Fathers' appropriate mind-related comments predicted children's higher temperamental and behavioral self-regulation and mothers' and fathers' nonattuned mind-related comments predicted children's lower physiological and temperamental self-regulation. Our findings emphasize the importance of both parents' mind-mindedness in children's socioemotional development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

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