The Relation between Maternal Personality and Internalizing/ Externalizing Behaviors: Mediating Role of Maternal Alexithymia, Children’s Alexithymia and Emotional Regulation
,
Abstract
Objective: Although many studies have investigated the effect of maternal personality on internalizing and externalizing behaviors of a child, the role of both mother and child’s emotional mechanisms in these behaviors is little explored. The present study was focused on the relationship between the mother’s personality, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors of children with the mediating role of children’s alexithymia, mother’s alexithymia, and children’s emotion regulation (ER).
Method: 162 mothers and elementary school-aged children were recruited regarding their demographics and completed the NEO personality inventory, Child behavior checklist, Toronto alexithymia scale, Children’s alexithymia measure, and Children’s emotion regulation checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS (ver.23), and AMOS (ver.23).
Results: Structural equations modeling demonstrated an acceptable model fit to data (CMIN/DF = 1.233, RSME = 0.038, GFI = 0.962). Mother’s alexithymia predicted internalizing problems whereas it didn’t predict externalizing problems in children. Also, the bootstrap results indicated that the mother and children’s alexithymia and children’s ER had mediating roles between mother’s personality and externalizing and internalizing problems.
Conclusion: The present results demonstrated that mother’s personality can indirectly, through mother and children’s alexithymia and children’s ER act as an important factor in development of mental problems. In other words, findings indicated that children’s emotional development is not a one-way road, but it is a mutual process that involves both the mother and the child.
1. Crespo LM, Trentacosta CJ, Aikins D, Wargo-Aikins J. Maternal emotion regulation and children’s behavior problems: The mediating role of child emotion regulation. J Child Fam Stud. 2017;26(10):2797-809.
2. Graziano PA, Garb LR, Ros R, Hart K, Garcia A. Executive functioning and school readiness among preschoolers with externalizing problems: The moderating role of the student–teacher relationship. Early Educ Dev. 2016;27(5):573-89.
3. Tremblay RE. Developmental origins of disruptive behaviour problems: the 'original sin' hypothesis, epigenetics and their consequences for prevention. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2010;51(4):341-67.
4. Bayer JK, Morgan A, Prendergast LA, Beatson R, Gilbertson T, Bretherton L, et al. Predicting Temperamentally Inhibited Young Children's Clinical-Level Anxiety and Internalizing Problems from Parenting and Parent Wellbeing: a Population Study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019;47(7):1165-81. Kessler RC, Avenevoli S, Costello EJ, Georgiades K, Green JG, Gruber MJ, et al. Prevalence, persistence, and sociodemographic correlates of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012;69(4):372-80.
5. Fanti KA, Henrich CC. Trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from age 2 to age 12: findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care. Dev Psychol. 2010;46(5):1159-75.
6. Oliver PH, Guerin DW, Coffman JK. Big five parental personality traits, parenting behaviors, and adolescent behavior problems: A mediation model. Pers Individ Dif. 2009;47(6):631-6.
7. Thartori E, Zuffianò A, Pastorelli C, Di Giunta L, Lunetti C, Lansford JE, et al. The interactive effects of maternal personality and adolescent temperament on externalizing behavior problem trajectories from age 12 to 14. Pers Individ Dif. 2018;134:301-7.
8. Feng X, Shaw DS, Moilanen KL. Parental negative control moderates the shyness-emotion regulation pathway to school-age internalizing symptoms. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2011;39(3):425-36.
9. Prinzie P, Stams GJ, Deković M, Reijntjes AH, Belsky J. The relations between parents' Big Five personality factors and parenting: a meta-analytic review. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2009;97(2):351-62.
10. Krystal H. Alexithymia and the effectiveness of psychoanalytic treatment. Int J Psychoanal Psychother. 1982;9:353-78.
11. Taylor GJ, Bagby RM, Parker JD. The alexithymia construct. A potential paradigm for psychosomatic medicine. Psychosomatics. 1991;32(2):153-64.
12. Honkalampi K, Tolmunen T, Hintikka J, Rissanen ML, Kylmä J, Laukkanen E. The prevalence of alexithymia and its relationship with Youth Self-Report problem scales among Finnish adolescents. Compr Psychiatry. 2009;50(3):263-8.
13. Lee WK. Psychological characteristics of self-harming behavior in Korean adolescents. Asian J Psychiatr. 2016;23:119-24.
14. Jellesma FC, Rieffe C, Terwogt MM, Westenberg M. Do I feel sadness, fear or both? Comparing self-reported alexithymia and emotional task-performance in children with many or few somatic complaints. Psychol Health. 2009;24(8):881-93.
15. Rieffe C, Nasiri H, Latifian M. Alexithymia and its relationship with physical complaints and emotional competency in children and adolescents. Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol. 2009;15(3):248-57.
16. Thorberg FA, Young RM, Sullivan KA, Lyvers M. Parental bonding and alexithymia: A meta-analysis. Eur Psychiatry. 2011;26(3):187-93.
17. Lumley MA, Mader C, Gramzow J, Papineau K. Family factors related to alexithymia characteristics. Psychosom Med. 1996;58(3):211-6.
18. Mahler J, Barnow S, Freyberger HJ, Spitzer C, Grabe HJ. Intrafamiliäre transmission alexithymer affektregulierung. PDP-Psychodynamische Psychotherapie. 2009;8(1):3-11.
19. Gatta M, Canetta E, Zordan M, Spoto A, Ferruzza E, Manco I, et al. Alexithymia in juvenile primary headache sufferers: a pilot study. J Headache Pain. 2011;12(1):71-80.
20. Cicchetti D, Ackerman BP, Izard CE. Emotions and emotion regulation in developmental psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol. 1995;7(1):1-10.
21. Alink LR, Cicchetti D, Kim J, Rogosch FA. Mediating and moderating processes in the relation between maltreatment and psychopathology: mother-child relationship quality and emotion regulation. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2009;37(6):831-43.
22. Thompson RA. Emotion regulation: a theme in search of definition. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 1994;59(2-3):25-52.
23. Siegler RS, DeLoache JS, Eisenberg N. How children develop: Macmillan; 2003.
24. Arbuckle J. IBM® SPSS® Amos™ user’s guide. Amos Development Corporation; 2016.
25. Bagby RM, Taylor GJ, Parker JD. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale—II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38(1):33-40.
26. Kooiman CG, van Rees Vellinga S, Spinhoven P, Draijer N, Trijsburg RW, Rooijmans HG. Childhood adversities as risk factors for alexithymia and other aspects of affect dysregulation in adulthood. Psychother Psychosom. 2004;73(2):107-16.
27. Bressi C, Taylor G, Parker J, Bressi S, Brambilla V, Aguglia E, et al. Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: an Italian multicenter study. J Psychosom Res. 1996;41(6):551-9.
28. Besharat M. Toronto Alexithymia Scale: Questionnaire, Instruction and Scoring (Persian Version). Develop Pschol. 2013;10(37):90-2.
29. Costa P, McCrae R. Revised NEO personality (NEOPI-R) and NEO five factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources. NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 1992.
30. Costa Jr PT, McCrae RR. Reply to eysenck. Pers Individ Dif. 1992;13(8):861-5.
31. Attari, Y; Amanollahi-fard, A; Mehrabi zadeh honarmand, M; Relationship between Personality Traits and individual-family factors with marital satisfaction in government employees of Ahvaz; 1385;77(13):81-108.
32. Way IF, Applegate B, Cai X, Franck LK, Black-Pond C, Yelsma P, et al. Children’s Alexithymia Measure (CAM): A new instrument for screening difficulties with emotional expression. J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2010;3(4):303-18.
33. Shields A, Cicchetti D. Emotion regulation among school-age children: the development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale. Dev Psychol. 1997;33(6):906-16.
34. Mahmoudi M, Borjali A, Alizadeh H, Ghobari-Bonab B, Ekhtiari H, Akbari-Zardkhaneh S. Emotion regulation in children with learning disorders and normal children. Research in School and Virtual Learning. 1970;4(13):69-84.
35. Achenbach T, Rescorla L. Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles: an integrated system of multi-informant assessment Burlington, VT: University of Vermont. Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families. 2001;1617.
36. Mayes R. Modelling and supporting ICT implementation in education. Oslo: Harvester. 2005.
37. Di Trani M, Tomassetti N, Capozzi F, Solano L, Romani M, Levi G. Alessitimia, sintomatologia internalizzante, esternalizzante ed ossesivo-compulsiva in pre-adolescenza: studio empirico su 160 soggetti. Rassegna Di Psicologia (Review of Psychology). 2013;30(3):77-94.
38. Di Trani M, Tomassetti N, Capozzi F, Solano L, Romani M, Levi G. Alessitimia, sintomatologia internalizzante, esternalizzante ed ossesivo-compulsiva in pre-adolescenza: studio empirico su 160 soggetti. Rassegna Di Psicologia. 2013;30(3):77-94.
39. Manninen M, Therman S, Suvisaari J, Ebeling H, Moilanen I, Huttunen M, et al. Alexithymia is common among adolescents with severe disruptive behavior. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2011;199(7):506-9.
40. Rubin KH, Mills RS. Conceptualizing developmental pathways to internalizing disorders in childhood. Can J Behav Sci. 1991;23(3):300-17.
41. Thomas A. Temperament research: Where we are, where we are going. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982-). 1984:103-9.
42. Morris AS, Steinberg L, Sessa FM, Avenevoli S, Silk JS, Essex MJ. Measuring children's perceptions of psychological control: Developmental and conceptual considerations. 2002.
43. Morris AS, Silk JS, Steinberg L, Sessa FM, Avenevoli S, Essex MJ. Temperamental vulnerability and negative parenting as interacting predictors of child adjustment. J Marriage Fam. 2002;64(2):461-71.
44. Aldao A, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Schweizer S. Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;30(2):217-37.
45. Rieffe C, Oosterveld P, Terwogt MM. An alexithymia questionnaire for children: Factorial and concurrent validation results. Pers Individ Dif. 2006;40(1):123-33.
46. Castañeda López E, Peñacoba Puente C, Benito Moreno S. Is there any relation between alexithymia in parents and children?: effects on children’s quality of life. Rev Electron Investig Psicoeduc Psigopedag. 2018;16(1):103-27.
47. Ellenbogen MA, Hodgins S. The impact of high neuroticism in parents on children's psychosocial functioning in a population at high risk for major affective disorder: a family-environmental pathway of intergenerational risk. Dev Psychopathol. 2004;16(1):113-36.
48. De Gucht V, Fischler B, Heiser W. Neuroticism, alexithymia, negative affect, and positive affect as determinants of medically unexplained symptoms. Pers Individ Dif. 2004;36(7):1655-67.
49. Gergely G, Watson JS. The social biofeedback theory of parental affect-mirroring: the development of emotional self-awareness and self-control in infancy. Int J Psychoanal. 1996;77 ( Pt 6):1181-212.
50. Sharp C, Vanwoerden S, Van Baardewijk Y, Tackett JL, Stegge H. Callous-unemotional traits are associated with deficits in recognizing complex emotions in preadolescent children. J Pers Disord. 2015;29(3):347-59.
51. Guttman H, Laporte L. Alexithymia, empathy, and psychological symptoms in a family context. Compr Psychiatry. 2002;43(6):448-55.
52. Paniccia MF, Gaudio S, Puddu A, Di Trani M, Dakanalis A, Gentile S, et al. Alexithymia in parents and adolescents with generalised anxiety disorder. Clin Psychol 2018;22(3):336-43.
53. Morris AS, Silk JS, Steinberg L, Myers SS, Robinson LR. The Role of the Family Context in the Development of Emotion Regulation. Soc Dev. 2007;16(2):361-88.
2. Graziano PA, Garb LR, Ros R, Hart K, Garcia A. Executive functioning and school readiness among preschoolers with externalizing problems: The moderating role of the student–teacher relationship. Early Educ Dev. 2016;27(5):573-89.
3. Tremblay RE. Developmental origins of disruptive behaviour problems: the 'original sin' hypothesis, epigenetics and their consequences for prevention. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2010;51(4):341-67.
4. Bayer JK, Morgan A, Prendergast LA, Beatson R, Gilbertson T, Bretherton L, et al. Predicting Temperamentally Inhibited Young Children's Clinical-Level Anxiety and Internalizing Problems from Parenting and Parent Wellbeing: a Population Study. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019;47(7):1165-81. Kessler RC, Avenevoli S, Costello EJ, Georgiades K, Green JG, Gruber MJ, et al. Prevalence, persistence, and sociodemographic correlates of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012;69(4):372-80.
5. Fanti KA, Henrich CC. Trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from age 2 to age 12: findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care. Dev Psychol. 2010;46(5):1159-75.
6. Oliver PH, Guerin DW, Coffman JK. Big five parental personality traits, parenting behaviors, and adolescent behavior problems: A mediation model. Pers Individ Dif. 2009;47(6):631-6.
7. Thartori E, Zuffianò A, Pastorelli C, Di Giunta L, Lunetti C, Lansford JE, et al. The interactive effects of maternal personality and adolescent temperament on externalizing behavior problem trajectories from age 12 to 14. Pers Individ Dif. 2018;134:301-7.
8. Feng X, Shaw DS, Moilanen KL. Parental negative control moderates the shyness-emotion regulation pathway to school-age internalizing symptoms. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2011;39(3):425-36.
9. Prinzie P, Stams GJ, Deković M, Reijntjes AH, Belsky J. The relations between parents' Big Five personality factors and parenting: a meta-analytic review. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2009;97(2):351-62.
10. Krystal H. Alexithymia and the effectiveness of psychoanalytic treatment. Int J Psychoanal Psychother. 1982;9:353-78.
11. Taylor GJ, Bagby RM, Parker JD. The alexithymia construct. A potential paradigm for psychosomatic medicine. Psychosomatics. 1991;32(2):153-64.
12. Honkalampi K, Tolmunen T, Hintikka J, Rissanen ML, Kylmä J, Laukkanen E. The prevalence of alexithymia and its relationship with Youth Self-Report problem scales among Finnish adolescents. Compr Psychiatry. 2009;50(3):263-8.
13. Lee WK. Psychological characteristics of self-harming behavior in Korean adolescents. Asian J Psychiatr. 2016;23:119-24.
14. Jellesma FC, Rieffe C, Terwogt MM, Westenberg M. Do I feel sadness, fear or both? Comparing self-reported alexithymia and emotional task-performance in children with many or few somatic complaints. Psychol Health. 2009;24(8):881-93.
15. Rieffe C, Nasiri H, Latifian M. Alexithymia and its relationship with physical complaints and emotional competency in children and adolescents. Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol. 2009;15(3):248-57.
16. Thorberg FA, Young RM, Sullivan KA, Lyvers M. Parental bonding and alexithymia: A meta-analysis. Eur Psychiatry. 2011;26(3):187-93.
17. Lumley MA, Mader C, Gramzow J, Papineau K. Family factors related to alexithymia characteristics. Psychosom Med. 1996;58(3):211-6.
18. Mahler J, Barnow S, Freyberger HJ, Spitzer C, Grabe HJ. Intrafamiliäre transmission alexithymer affektregulierung. PDP-Psychodynamische Psychotherapie. 2009;8(1):3-11.
19. Gatta M, Canetta E, Zordan M, Spoto A, Ferruzza E, Manco I, et al. Alexithymia in juvenile primary headache sufferers: a pilot study. J Headache Pain. 2011;12(1):71-80.
20. Cicchetti D, Ackerman BP, Izard CE. Emotions and emotion regulation in developmental psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol. 1995;7(1):1-10.
21. Alink LR, Cicchetti D, Kim J, Rogosch FA. Mediating and moderating processes in the relation between maltreatment and psychopathology: mother-child relationship quality and emotion regulation. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2009;37(6):831-43.
22. Thompson RA. Emotion regulation: a theme in search of definition. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 1994;59(2-3):25-52.
23. Siegler RS, DeLoache JS, Eisenberg N. How children develop: Macmillan; 2003.
24. Arbuckle J. IBM® SPSS® Amos™ user’s guide. Amos Development Corporation; 2016.
25. Bagby RM, Taylor GJ, Parker JD. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale—II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38(1):33-40.
26. Kooiman CG, van Rees Vellinga S, Spinhoven P, Draijer N, Trijsburg RW, Rooijmans HG. Childhood adversities as risk factors for alexithymia and other aspects of affect dysregulation in adulthood. Psychother Psychosom. 2004;73(2):107-16.
27. Bressi C, Taylor G, Parker J, Bressi S, Brambilla V, Aguglia E, et al. Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: an Italian multicenter study. J Psychosom Res. 1996;41(6):551-9.
28. Besharat M. Toronto Alexithymia Scale: Questionnaire, Instruction and Scoring (Persian Version). Develop Pschol. 2013;10(37):90-2.
29. Costa P, McCrae R. Revised NEO personality (NEOPI-R) and NEO five factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources. NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 1992.
30. Costa Jr PT, McCrae RR. Reply to eysenck. Pers Individ Dif. 1992;13(8):861-5.
31. Attari, Y; Amanollahi-fard, A; Mehrabi zadeh honarmand, M; Relationship between Personality Traits and individual-family factors with marital satisfaction in government employees of Ahvaz; 1385;77(13):81-108.
32. Way IF, Applegate B, Cai X, Franck LK, Black-Pond C, Yelsma P, et al. Children’s Alexithymia Measure (CAM): A new instrument for screening difficulties with emotional expression. J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2010;3(4):303-18.
33. Shields A, Cicchetti D. Emotion regulation among school-age children: the development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale. Dev Psychol. 1997;33(6):906-16.
34. Mahmoudi M, Borjali A, Alizadeh H, Ghobari-Bonab B, Ekhtiari H, Akbari-Zardkhaneh S. Emotion regulation in children with learning disorders and normal children. Research in School and Virtual Learning. 1970;4(13):69-84.
35. Achenbach T, Rescorla L. Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles: an integrated system of multi-informant assessment Burlington, VT: University of Vermont. Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families. 2001;1617.
36. Mayes R. Modelling and supporting ICT implementation in education. Oslo: Harvester. 2005.
37. Di Trani M, Tomassetti N, Capozzi F, Solano L, Romani M, Levi G. Alessitimia, sintomatologia internalizzante, esternalizzante ed ossesivo-compulsiva in pre-adolescenza: studio empirico su 160 soggetti. Rassegna Di Psicologia (Review of Psychology). 2013;30(3):77-94.
38. Di Trani M, Tomassetti N, Capozzi F, Solano L, Romani M, Levi G. Alessitimia, sintomatologia internalizzante, esternalizzante ed ossesivo-compulsiva in pre-adolescenza: studio empirico su 160 soggetti. Rassegna Di Psicologia. 2013;30(3):77-94.
39. Manninen M, Therman S, Suvisaari J, Ebeling H, Moilanen I, Huttunen M, et al. Alexithymia is common among adolescents with severe disruptive behavior. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2011;199(7):506-9.
40. Rubin KH, Mills RS. Conceptualizing developmental pathways to internalizing disorders in childhood. Can J Behav Sci. 1991;23(3):300-17.
41. Thomas A. Temperament research: Where we are, where we are going. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982-). 1984:103-9.
42. Morris AS, Steinberg L, Sessa FM, Avenevoli S, Silk JS, Essex MJ. Measuring children's perceptions of psychological control: Developmental and conceptual considerations. 2002.
43. Morris AS, Silk JS, Steinberg L, Sessa FM, Avenevoli S, Essex MJ. Temperamental vulnerability and negative parenting as interacting predictors of child adjustment. J Marriage Fam. 2002;64(2):461-71.
44. Aldao A, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Schweizer S. Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;30(2):217-37.
45. Rieffe C, Oosterveld P, Terwogt MM. An alexithymia questionnaire for children: Factorial and concurrent validation results. Pers Individ Dif. 2006;40(1):123-33.
46. Castañeda López E, Peñacoba Puente C, Benito Moreno S. Is there any relation between alexithymia in parents and children?: effects on children’s quality of life. Rev Electron Investig Psicoeduc Psigopedag. 2018;16(1):103-27.
47. Ellenbogen MA, Hodgins S. The impact of high neuroticism in parents on children's psychosocial functioning in a population at high risk for major affective disorder: a family-environmental pathway of intergenerational risk. Dev Psychopathol. 2004;16(1):113-36.
48. De Gucht V, Fischler B, Heiser W. Neuroticism, alexithymia, negative affect, and positive affect as determinants of medically unexplained symptoms. Pers Individ Dif. 2004;36(7):1655-67.
49. Gergely G, Watson JS. The social biofeedback theory of parental affect-mirroring: the development of emotional self-awareness and self-control in infancy. Int J Psychoanal. 1996;77 ( Pt 6):1181-212.
50. Sharp C, Vanwoerden S, Van Baardewijk Y, Tackett JL, Stegge H. Callous-unemotional traits are associated with deficits in recognizing complex emotions in preadolescent children. J Pers Disord. 2015;29(3):347-59.
51. Guttman H, Laporte L. Alexithymia, empathy, and psychological symptoms in a family context. Compr Psychiatry. 2002;43(6):448-55.
52. Paniccia MF, Gaudio S, Puddu A, Di Trani M, Dakanalis A, Gentile S, et al. Alexithymia in parents and adolescents with generalised anxiety disorder. Clin Psychol 2018;22(3):336-43.
53. Morris AS, Silk JS, Steinberg L, Myers SS, Robinson LR. The Role of the Family Context in the Development of Emotion Regulation. Soc Dev. 2007;16(2):361-88.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 17 No 1 (2022) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v17i1.8050 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Alexithymia Child Emotional Regulation Mothers Personality Problem Behavior | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Davodi-Boroujerd G, Abasi I, Masjedi Arani A, Aslzaker M. The Relation between Maternal Personality and Internalizing/ Externalizing Behaviors: Mediating Role of Maternal Alexithymia, Children’s Alexithymia and Emotional Regulation. Iran J Psychiatry. 2022;17(1):61-71.
