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Panel information
Panel 9. Family Context & Processes

Abstract

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Kindergarten entry may highlight children who are having adjustment difficulties related to earlier inhibited temperament, defined as hesitancy to interact with novel stimuli (Feola et al., 2020). Beyond temperament, other factors (e.g., maternal anxiety and the caregiving environment) have also been shown to predict children’s socioemotional readiness for kindergarten. Previous literature has attributed differences in child academic anxiety and shyness-related difficulties in the transition to kindergarten to mothers’ own anxiety (Coplan et al., 2018; Murray et al., 2014; Pass et al., 2017). There has also been support for a correlation between maternal overcontrol (i.e., excessive involvement in children’s experiences in a way that encourages dependence on the parent; Affrunti & Ginsburg, 2011) and children’s lowered academic success (Pomerantz & Eaton, 2001). However, these studies assume a unidirectional influence of parenting on child adjustment to kindergarten. Research has shown that the relationship between maternal anxiety and child anxiety risk is likely transactional (Kiel et al., 2021), yet mother and child outcomes are rarely investigated in the same study.

This study sought to bridge this gap by investigating prediction of both child and maternal adjustment to kindergarten from child inhibited temperament and maternal anxiety, maternal overcontrol, and academic readiness. It was hypothesized that children of anxious and/or controlling mothers would have a more difficult transition to kindergarten (i.e., higher anxiety), and mothers of inhibited children would also display adjustment difficulties at kindergarten entry, above and beyond other factors.

Data came from an ongoing longitudinal study of a sample of primarily white/non-Hispanic but socioeconomically diverse families (N= 237; 41.4% female children). Children’s inhibited temperament was observed in the lab at ages 1, 2, and 3 (Fox et al., 2001). Mothers self-reported their social anxiety (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale [Clark, 1989]), restrictive overcontrol (Child Rearing Practices Report [Block, 1965]) and accommodation (Family Accommodation Scale [Lebowitz et al., 2012]) across 4 years. Overcontrol was also observed in a laboratory puzzle task at age 3 (Gaertner et al., 2008). Child academic readiness for kindergarten was measured in the lab with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Version 4 (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and reported by mothers using the academic competence scales of the Health Behavior Questionnaire (Ablow et al., 1999). Child adjustment to kindergarten was measured as anxiety, assessed via teacher-, mother-, and father-report on the Preschool Anxiety Scales (Spence et al., 2001). Mothers self-reported their own adjustment with an adapted version of the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale (Hock et al., 1989).

Data were analyzed using multiple imputation and hierarchical regression models (Step 1: child inhibited temperament, maternal anxiety; Step 2: academic readiness; Step 3: parenting). Family accommodation (p<.001) in step 3 and maternal anxiety, across steps (Step 3 p =.030) predicted child anxiety at kindergarten entry. Inhibited temperament marginally predicted child anxiety (p=.067) in Step 1 and was non-significant in subsequent steps. No variables predicted maternal adjustment, but maternal adjustment correlated with child anxiety (r=.317, p=.042). Thus, although they are not predicted by similar variables, maternal and child adjustment were nonetheless related.

Author information

Author	Role
Katelyn Grace Sullivan, Miami University	Presenting author
Claire O'Leary, Miami University	Non-presenting author
Elizabeth J. Kiel, Miami University	Non-presenting author

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