Contributions of Observed Parent Socialization of Coping and Skin Conductance Level Reactivity to Childhood Adjustment

• Author: Caitlin Wagner,Sarah Stanger,Jamie Abaied,Wesley Sanders
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12272
• Date: 01 March 2018
• Published date: 01 March 2018

Contributions of Observed Parent Socialization of

Coping and Skin Conductance Level Reactivity to

Childhood Adjustment

SARAH STANGER*

JAMIE ABAIED*

CAITLIN WAGNER*

WESLEY SANDERS*

This research examined the longitudinal association between parent socialization of cop-

ing and child adjustment, as well as the moderating role of children’s skin conductance

level reactivity (SCLR). Participants were a community sample of children (n=64, M

age =9.02, 54.5% females, 93.2% Caucasian) and their parent(s). Parent coping sugges-

tions were observed while their child engaged in a stressful challenge task, during which

the child’s SCLR, a measure of children’s physiological reactivity to stress, was also mea-

sured. Parent(s) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) at

baseline and a 6-month follow-up to assess internalizing and externalizing problems.

Results revealed that secondary control engagement suggestions predicted few er internaliz-

ing problems over time. In addition, disengagement suggestions predicted fewer externaliz-

ing problems over time among children with high SCLR. This study provides evidence that

parent coping suggestions serve as a resource that protects youth from developing adjust-

ment problems.

Keywords: Parenting; Coping; Skin Conductance Level Reacti vity; Externalizing;

Internalizing; Socialization

Fam Proc 57:181–194, 2018

Learning to effectively cope with stressful experiences represents a key developm ental

task of middle childhood. Developmental theory proposes that external resources,

such as parent guidance as children navigate challenging experiences, and internal

resources, such as children’s physiological responses to stress, can impact children’s suc-

cess at this task, and ultimately their healthy adjustment (Compas, Connor -Smith, Saltz-

man, Thomsen, & Wadsworth, 2001; Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007). Socialization of

coping is a construct that measures how parents teach their children to regulate their

emotions and behaviors in the face of stress (Abaied & Rudolph, 2010; Kliewer, Fearnow,

& Miller, 1996). Research indicates that socialization of coping can either support or

undermine healthy adjustment in youth, depending upon the types of coping strategies

parents encourage their children to use (Abaied & Rudolph, 2010, 2011; Abaied, Wagner,

& Sanders, 2014; Kliewer et al., 1996, 2006; Werner, Eaton, Lyle, Tseng, & Holst, 2014).

However, much of this research is cross-sectional or relies on limited methods for assess-

ing socialization of coping. Thus, the primary goal of this study was to examin e the

*Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.

Correspondence concerningthis article should be addressed to Sarah Stanger,Department of Psychological

Science,University of Vermont,John Dewey Hall, Rm 246, 2 Colchester Avenue,Burlington, VT 05405-0134.

E-mail: sarah.stanger@uvm.edu.

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Family Process, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2018 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12272