The importance of the parent-child relationship during early childhood (i.e., 0-5 years) on children's socioemotional functioning has been extensively documented in the literature. However, limited work has examined the degree to which dyadic features of the parent-child relationship changes over the course of early childhood and whether growth in…

Early caregiving experiences influence the development of children's social behaviors. Caregiving hostility, characterized by anger and rejection toward the child, is associated with higher levels of aggression and lower levels of prosocial behavior. Symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may underlie the association between…

The present study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between social inhibition and behavior problems in preschoolers, as well as the potential moderating role of maternal parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) in this relationship. A total of 196 preschoolers aged 3-4 years (M[subscript T1] = 3.460, SD = 0.594)…

This study examines the differences in third-party punishment and compensation behaviors in 3- to 5-year-old children (N = 114) in fair and unfair distribution contexts. Using both third-party punishment and compensation paradigms, the study involved Chinese-speaking preschool children. The results showed: (1) Children's intention and degree of…

The current study examined whether age and parental reports of children's problematic lying, behavioural inhibition system (BIS) activity, and reward responsiveness predicted children's antisocial lie-telling. Children from mostly middle and upper-class Canadian families (ages 3-12, M = 6.23, SD = 2.52) participated in a modified Temptation…

The quality of peer attachment in adolescence is an important determinant of psychosocial adjustment. To date, few clear conclusions can be drawn about the most important factors associated with the quality of peer attachment. This study aimed to identify the most important individual and relational factors associated with peer attachment quality,…

Parent emotion socialization (ES), the process through which caregivers influence the development and expression of emotions in children, needs to be interpreted within a sociocultural context. ES literature in Eastern cultures is emerging; existing research has almost exclusively focused on school-age children and adolescents, and has generally…

Supportive parent-adolescent relationships are known to promote adolescent adjustment, but less is known about the interactive roles of supportive relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends. The current study examined the interactive relations between mother-adolescent, father-adolescent, and best friend relationship support on…

We assessed linkages of mothers' emotion coaching and children's emotion regulation and emotion lability/negativity with children's adjustment in 72 mother-child dyads seeking treatment for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Dyads completed the questionnaires and discussed emotion-related family events. Maternal emotion coaching was associated…

Research on sex differences in antisocial behaviour may shed light on the causes of childhood antisocial behaviour. Using a longitudinal design, we tested whether there were sex differences in the amount of harsh discipline children received or in the effect of harsh discipline and whether this accounted for sex differences in later conduct…

Predictable patterns in early parent-child interactions may help lay the foundation for how children learn to self-regulate. The present study examined contingencies between maternal teaching and directives and child compliance in mother-child problem-solving interactions at age 3.5 and whether they predicted children's behavioral regulation and…

The present study examined whether adolescent loneliness would be lower within the context of positive relationships with peers. The core conceptual model predicted that hypothesized links between peer-rated social behaviors or victimization and loneliness would be mediated by social acceptance. Relationship experiences (i.e., social acceptance,…

Stability and change in mother-adolescent conflict reactions (CRs) and the prediction of CRs from adolescents' earlier behavior problems (and vice versa) were examined with 131 mothers and their adolescents (63 boys). Dyads engaged in a 6-min conflict discussion twice, 2 years apart ["M" age was 13 at Time 1 (T1)]. Non-verbal expressive…

The purpose of the current study was to test a conceptual model of the mediated and moderated associations among shyness, coping strategies, and socioemotional functioning in middle childhood. Participants were 358 children (177 boys) aged 9-13 years (M = 10.16 years, SD = 0.95). Children completed self-report assessments of shyness, coping style…

Interactions between reactive and regulatory dimensions of temperament may be particularly relevant to children's adjustment but are examined infrequently. This study investigated these interactions by examining effortful control as a moderator of the relations of fear and frustration reactivity to children's social competence, internalizing, and…