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The Moderator Role Of Gender In The Relationship Between Behavioral Inhibition And Parental Behaviour In Preschool Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

R.S. Sulyok*
Affiliation:
Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Education and Psychology, Department Of Developmental And Clinical Child Psychology, Budapest, Hungary
M. Miklósi
Affiliation:
Eötvös Loránd University, Department Of Developmental And Clinical Child Psychology, Budapest, Hungary
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Preschool Behavioural Inhibition (BI) was found to be a temperamental risk factor of anxiety disorders in later life; especially in women. Similarly, previous research revealed that parental behaviour plays a major role in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Gender differences in parental responses to child’s temperament may contribute to the stronger association between BI and anxiety disorders in females.

Objectives

We aimed to examine the moderating effect of child’s gender in the association between child’s BI and parenting behaviour in a non-clinical sample of parents of preschool children.

Methods

A cross-sectional sample of parents (N=94) of preschool children (girls 47.4%) filled out the Behavioural Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS).

Results

Child’s gender was found to moderate the relationships between BIQ scores and MAPS Supportive Parenting (F(3,90)=4.350, p=.007, R2=.127), as well as Hostile Parenting (F(3,89)=3.478, p=.019, R2=.105). In boys, higher BIQ scores were associated with higher levels of Supporting Parenting (b=.005, p=.027), while in girls this association was reversed (b=-.004, p=.037). Furthermore, in boys, no association was found between BIQ scores and Hostile Parenting (b=.005, p=.835); however, higher BIQ scores were related to higher levels of Hostile Parenting in girls (b=.067, p<.001).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that parental responses to their preschool child’s Behavioural Inhibition may vary as a function of child’s gender. This may lead to gender differences in developmental pathways to anxiety disorders.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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