Young Children's Self-Concepts Associations with Child Temperament, Mothers' and Fathers' Parenting, and Triadic Family Interaction

This study explored how children's self-concepts were related to child temperament, dyadic parenting behavior, and triadic family interaction. At age 3, child temperament, mothers' and fathers' parenting behavior, and triadic (mother, father, and child) family interaction were observed in the homes of 50 families. At age 4, children's self-concepts were assessed using the Children's Self-View Questionnaire (Eder, 1990). Analyses revealed that temperamental proneness to distress and triadic family interaction made independent contributions to children's self-reported timidity and agreeableness. In contrast, dyadic parenting behavior moderated the associations between child temperament and children's self-reported timidity and agreeableness such that temperament was only associated with children's self-concepts when mothers and fathers engaged in particular parenting behaviors. Results suggest both direct and interactive influences of family dynamics and child characteristics on children's self-concept development.