Abstract:This study examined the mediating role of emotional availability in the relation between parent positive personality and toddler problem behavior. The sample comprised 654 twins at 12 and 32 months. Primary caregivers (>95% mothers) completed six measures indexing parent positive personality assessed at 12 months, and emotional availability and toddler problem behaviors assessed at both times. Parent positive personality was positively associated with emotional availability and negatively associated with problem behavior. The indirect path from parent positive personality to problem behavior through emotional availability was significant, and parent positive personality was no longer significantly related to problem behavior, suggesting full mediation. Although problem behaviors were heritable, over half of the variance was due to the shared environment, pointing to early childhood as a time when parent characteristics and behaviors may have maximum influence. Parental emotional responsiveness could serve to reduce problem behaviors in young children.

中文翻译：

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父母积极人格和情感可用性在幼儿问题行为中的保护作用

摘要：本研究探讨了情绪可用性在父母积极人格与幼儿问题行为之间的关系中的中介作用。样本包括 12 个月和 32 个月的 654 对双胞胎。主要照顾者（>95% 的母亲）完成了 6 项指标，以评估 12 个月时评估的父母积极人格，以及两次评估的情绪可用性和幼儿问题行为。父母积极人格与情绪可用性呈正相关，与问题行为呈负相关。通过情感可用性从父母积极人格到问题行为的间接路径是显着的，并且父母积极人格不再与问题行为显着相关，表明完全中介。虽然问题行为是可遗传的，超过一半的差异是由于共享环境造成的，这表明儿童早期是父母特征和行为可能产生最大影响的时期。父母的情绪反应可以减少幼儿的问题行为。