Developmental Pathways Linking Maternal and Child Emotion Regulation: The Mediating Role of Emotion Socialization = 어머니와 유아의 정서조절 간의 발달 경로: 정서사회화의 매개 역할

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본 연구는 어머니의 정서조절이 유아기의 자녀 정서조절로 어떻게 이어지는지를 탐색하며, 이 과정에서 어머니의 정서사회화 반응과 유아의 정서조절 전략이 어떤 간접적 역할을 하는지 검증하고자 하였다. 연구에는 한국의 170쌍의 어머니–자녀가 참여하였으며, 아동은 53~72개월(평균 = 61.9개월)로 모두 4~5세였다. 어머니의 정서조절 전략(재평가, 반추)은 RESS를 통해, 정서사회화 반응(지지적·비지지적 반응)은 CCNES를 통해 측정하였다. 아동의 정서조절 유능성은 ERC로, 아동의 정서조절 전략 사용은 SIRE 이야기 완성 과제를 통해 실험적으로 평가하였다.
SPSS 29.0을 사용하여 기술통계와 상관분석을 실시하였으며, AMOS 26.0을 사용한 경로분석 결과, 제시된 모형은 적합한 것으로 나타났다(χ²(31) = 34.94, p = .29, TLI = .95, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .03, 90% CI [.00, .07]).
주요 결과를 살펴보면, 어머니의 재평가 전략은 지지적 정서사회화 반응과 정적으로 관련되었으며, 이러한 지지적 반응은 아동의 적응적 정서조절 전략 사용을 예측하였다. 더 나아가, 어머니의 재평가 → 지지적 반응 → 아동의 적응적 전략 → 아동의 정서조절 유능성으로 이어지는 간접효과 또한 유의하게 나타났다. 반면, 어머니의 반추는 비지지적 반응과는 관련이 있었으나, 비지지적 반응은 아동의 부적응 전략 사용을 유의하게 예측하지 못하였고, 부적응 전략 역시 아동의 정서조절 유능성과 연결되지 않았다. 즉, 부정적 경로는 본 연구에서 지지되지 않았다. 한편, 지지적·비지지적 정서사회화 반응은 아동의 정서조절 유능성에 각각 유의한 직접효과를 보였다.
종합하면, 어머니의 적응적 정서조절은 지지적 정서사회화를 통해 아동의 적응적 전략 사용과 정서조절 유능성으로 이어지는 간접 경로를 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 유아기가 적응적 정서조절을 강화하기에 중요한 시기임을 시사하며, 부모의 정서조절 능력과 정서사회화 행동을 목표로 한 조기 개입의 필요성을 강조한다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The present study aimed to investigate the developmental pathways linking mothers’ emotion regulation and preschool children’s emotion regulation. A path analysis was conducted to examine how maternal emotion regulation strategies – cognitive reappraisal and rumination – were associated with children’s different emotion regulation strategies and overall regulation competence through the indirect effects of maternal emotion socialization behaviors to children’s negative emotional expressions.
Participants were 170 mother–child dyads from South Korea. Children were between 53 and 72 months of age (M = 61.9, SD = 5.29), corresponding to 4 to 5 years old. Specifically, 63 children (37.1%) were 4 years old, and 107 children (62.9%) were 5 years old. The sample included 89 girls (52.4%) and 81 boys (47.6%). Mothers were between 30 and 51 years of age (M = 38.7, SD = 3.55).
Maternal emotion regulation strategies were assessed using the Korean version of the Regulation of Emotion Systems Survey (RESS), focusing on reappraisal and rumination subscales. Maternal emotion socialization behaviors were measured with the Korean version of the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES), comprising supportive and non-supportive responses. Children’s overall emotion regulation competence was reported by mothers using the Korean version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC). Finally, children’s emotion regulation strategies were experimentally assessed using the Korean version of the Emotion Regulation Strategies Story Stems (SIRE). Descriptive statistics and correlations were conducted in SPSS 29.0. Path analysis was conducted in AMOS 26.0, and the model demonstrated satisfactory fit, χ² (31) = 34.94, p = .29, TLI = .95, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .03, 90% CI [.00, .07].
Results demonstrated that maternal cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with supportive responses, which in turn predicted more frequent use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies among children and stronger regulation competence. The indirect effect from maternal reappraisal to children’s regulation competence through supportive responses and children’s adaptive strategy use was significant. Maternal rumination was positively associated with non-supportive responses; however, non-supportive responses did not significantly predict children’s maladaptive strategy use, nor did maladaptive strategies predict children’s regulation competence. Thus, the negative pathway was not supported in this study. Additionally, maternal supportive and non-supportive responses showed significant direct effects on children’s emotion regulation competence, highlighting the important role of parental emotion socialization beyond children’s strategy use.
In sum, the findings suggest that maternal adaptive emotion regulation influences children’s regulation competence through indirect effects involving supportive emotion socialization and children’s adaptive strategies. These results emphasize early childhood as a crucial developmental period for strengthening adaptive emotion regulation. Consequently, it further highlights the importance of targeting parental regulatory strategies and emotion socialization behaviors in early interventions designed to promote children’s emotional development.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v
• List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vi
• Abstract ............................................................................................................................ vii
• I. Introduction
• 1.1. Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................ 1
• 1.2. Research Questions .................................................................................................. 8
• II. Theoretical Background
• 2.1. Children’s Emotion Regulation ............................................................................. 10
• 2.1.1. Children’s Emotion Regulation Competence ............................................. 10
• 2.1.2. Children’s Emotion Regulation Strategies ................................................. 11
• 2.2. Maternal Emotion Regulation Strategies: Reappraisal and Rumination ............... 15
• 2.3. Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors ........................................................... 18
• 2.3.1. Maternal Responses to Children’s Negative Emotions............................ 18
• 2.4. Associations between Maternal Regulation Strategy, Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors, Child Regulation Strategy and Emotion Regulation Competence .......................................................................................................... 22
• III. Methodology
• 3.1. Data and Participants ......................................................................................... 27
• 3.2. Procedure ........................................................................................................... 30
• 3.3. Measures ........................................................................................................... 32
• 3.3.1. Maternal Emotion Regulation Strategies ............................................... 32
• 3.3.2. Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors ........................................... 32
• 3.3.3. Children’s Emotion Regulation Competence ......................................... 34
• 3.3.4. Children’s Emotion Regulation Strategies ............................................. 35
• 3.3.4-1. Coding Scheme ....................................................................... 40
• 3.3.4-2. Coding Procedure and Interrater Reliability ........................... 45
• 3.4. Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 45
• IV. Results
• 4.1. Descriptive Statistics ......................................................................................... 47
• 4.2. Correlational Analysis ....................................................................................... 50
• 4.3. Path Analysis ..................................................................................................... 53
• 4.3.1. Direct Associations Between Maternal Strategy, Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors, Child Emotion Regulation Strategy and Competence ............................................................................................... 54
• 4.3.2. Direct Effects of Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors on Child Emotion Regulation Competence .............................................................. 55
• 4.3.3. Indirect Effects from Maternal Strategy to Child Emotion Regulation Competence via Emotion Socialization and Child Strategy Use ............................................................................................................. 57
• V. Discussions and Conclusion
• 5.1. Discussions and Implications ................................................................................ 59
• 5.1.1. Associations Among Maternal Regulation Strategy, Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors, Child Regulation Strategy and Emotion Regulation Competence ........................................................................... 59
• 5.1.2. Indirect Effects of Maternal Emotion Regulation Strategy on Child Emotion Regulation Competence ........................................................................... 60
• 5.1.3. Patterns of Children’s Emotion Regulation Strategy Use ........................... 62
• 5.1.4. Implications ................................................................................................. 64
• 5.2. Limitations and Future Studies ............................................................................. 66
• 5.3. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 69
• References ........................................................................................................................ 70
• Appendices
• Appendix A. Maternal Emotion Regulation Strategies …............................................ 97
• Appendix B. Maternal Emotion Socialization Behaviors ............................................ 98
• Appendix C. Children’s Emotion Regulation Competence ……............................... 102
• Appendix D. Child Emotion Regulation Strategies ……………............................... 104
• Appendix E. Frequency Distribution of Adaptive and Maladaptive Strategies .….... 106
• 국문요약 ................................................................................................................... 108