Contributions of maternal emotional awareness to socialization of coping

Little is known about why parents encourage children to respond to stressors in particular ways. To address this gap, this research examined whether maternal emotional awareness predicted mothers??? socialization of coping (i.e., coping suggestions and responses) in the context of peer victimization. As part of a longitudinal study, 425 2nd graders (M age = 7.95, SD = .32; 197 boys, 228 girls) and their maternal caregivers completed questionnaires, and caregivers completed questionnaires one year later. A series of hierachical multiple regression analyses revealed that maternal emotional awareness predicted more primary control engagement suggestions (suggestions to address the source of stress or the accompanying emotional response) concurrently and over time, and predicted more distress responses concurrently. Emotional awareness predicted fewer secondary control engagement suggestions (suggestions to think positively or focus on growth) and punitive/minimizing responses concurrently and over time. These contributions were significant after considering child emotional functioning, maternal depression, and maternal education. Results also revealed that child negative emotionality, child depression, and maternal depression made unique contributions to mothers??? socialization of coping. This research provides novel evidence of the intersection between emotional awareness and parenting, suggesting that emotional awareness may enhance or impair mothers??? ability or inclination to engage in specific parenting behaviors