Understanding the reactions of mothers and fathers to Turkish toddlers’ temperamental characteristics

Abstract

The current study examined the associations between parents’ response to temperament (mothers and fathers’ encouraging or discouraging negative affectivity and surgency, and rewarding effortful control or punishing low effortful control) and toddlers’ temperament display (negative affectivity, surgency, and effortful control). A total of 118 Turkish toddlers (65 girls) and their parents were recruited for the current study. Mothers’ age ranged 19 to 46 (M = 31.33, SD = 5.10) and fathers’ age ranged from 26 to 49 (M = 34.34, SD = 4.71) years. Toddlers’ age ranged from 16 months to 36 months (M = 27.91, SD = 5.67). Both parents reported on their responses to toddlers’ temperament and mothers reported on toddlers’ temperamental characteristics. Canonical correlations were used to test multivariate associations between parents’ response to temperament and toddlers’ temperament display. Results showed that 1- mothers’ encouraging negative affectivity and rewarding effortful control were positively related to toddlers’ display of effortful control and surgency. 2- mothers’ encouraging negative affectivity, punishing low effortful control, and discouraging effortful control were positively associated with toddlers’ negative affectivity and effortful control, and negatively associated with surgency. 3- fathers’ encouraging negative affectivity and rewarding effortful control were positively associated with toddlers’ negative affectivity, effortful control, and surgency. In addition, there was a significant difference between mothers and fathers on punishment of low effortful control and discouraging surgency, favoring fathers. Limitations and future directions are discussed.