ABSTRACT

Based on Self-Determination theory, we examined three hypotheses: (1) mothers’ achievement-oriented controlling behaviour towards their toddlers predicts children’s helpless coping with failure three years later, (2) mothers’ prenatal orientation to use conditional regard (CR) to promote children’s achievements predicts postnatal controlling behaviour, and (3) the effects of mothers’ prenatal CR-orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour emerge also after controlling for the effects of infants’ temperament disposition towards frustration-reactivity. A four-wave study assessed expectant mothers’ CR-orientation (n = 290), their 8-month-old infants’ frustration-reactivity (n = 184), mothers’ controlling behaviour with their 18-month olds (n = 201), and children’s helpless coping with unsolvable puzzles at 54–60 months (n = 200). No systematic attrition effects were detected. Results supported the hypotheses, and, in addition, suggested that prenatal CR-orientation has an indirect effect on preschoolers’ helplessness, via mothers’ postnatal controlling behaviour. The findings suggest that mothers’ achievement-oriented prenatal CR-orientation and postnatal controlling behaviour may be risk factors that can be addressed in early prevention programs.

摘要

基于自我决定理论，我们研究了三个假设：（1）母亲对幼儿的以成就为导向的控制行为预测三年后孩子的无助应对失败；（2）母亲的产前取向使用条件性照顾（CR）促进儿童的成就预示着产后控制行为，（3）在控制了婴儿的气质倾向对挫败反应的影响之后，母亲的产前CR取向和产后控制行为的影响也随之显现。一项四波研究评估了准妈妈的CR取向（n = 290），8个月大的婴儿的挫败反应（n = 184），准妈妈对18个月大的孩子的控制行为（n = 201）。 ，并且儿童在54至60个月时（n = 200）无法解决难题。没有检测到系统的磨损效应。结果支持这些假设，此外，表明产前CR定向通过母亲的产后控制行为对学龄前儿童的无助有间接影响。研究结果表明，母亲注重成就的产前CR取向和产后控制行为可能是可以在早期预防计划中解决的危险因素。