Research has recognized that parental emotion regulation influences whether parents respond sensitively to their children in challenging parenting situations. However, parental emotion regulation is usually assessed using questionnaires that are not about parenting, rather than through examining parents' reaction to specific parenting situations that might evoke negative emotions. This study investigates individual differences in mothers' emotion regulation during parenting, specifically examining the relation between their subjective negative emotions and observed parenting behaviors and whether this relation is moderated by cognitive (strategies to manage negative emotions) and physiological (resting baseline and reactivity of respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) processes. Data of 157 mothers' self-reported negative emotions and strategy-use, their RSA, observed maternal responsiveness, and their preschool-age children's (30-60 months, 49.7% female) challenging behaviors were collected during a Wait Task, in which mothers told children to wait before opening an appealing gift. Regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for how challenging children were, mothers' level of negative emotion was not associated with observed level of maternal responsiveness. In line with hypotheses, the association was moderated by mothers' resting RSA and the extent to which they suppressed negative emotions. However, contrary to hypotheses, the association was not moderated by use of reappraisal, distraction, or rumination, or RSA reactivity. The significant findings suggest that, although mothers' subjective experiences of negative emotions are not necessarily related to less responsive parenting behaviors, the link between maternal emotions and parenting behavior may indicate differences in how mothers engage cognitive strategies as well as their physiological regulation capacity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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策略使用和副交感神经功能在母性情绪调节中的作用。

研究已经认识到，父母的情绪调节会影响父母在具有挑战性的育儿环境中是否对孩子做出敏感反应。然而，通常使用与育儿无关的问卷来评估父母的情绪调节，而不是通过检查父母对可能引起负面情绪的特定育儿情况的反应。本研究调查了母亲在育儿过程中情绪调节的个体差异，特别是检验了她们的主观负面情绪与观察到的育儿行为之间的关系，以及这种关系是否受到认知（管理负面情绪的策略）和生理（静息基线和呼吸系统反应性）的调节窦性心律失常；RSA) 过程。157位妈妈的数据 自我报告的负面情绪和策略使用、他们的 RSA、观察到的母亲反应以及他们学龄前儿童（30-60 个月，49.7% 女性）的挑战性行为是在等待任务期间收集的，母亲告诉孩子在等待之前等待打开诱人的礼物。回归分析表明，在控制了儿童的挑战性后，母亲的负面情绪水平与观察到的母亲反应水平无关。根据假设，这种关联受到母亲的静息 RSA 和她们抑制负面情绪的程度的调节。然而，与假设相反，重新评估、分心或反刍或 RSA 反应性的使用并没有缓和这种关联。重要的发现表明，尽管母亲的 负面情绪的主观体验不一定与反应迟钝的养育行为有关，母亲情绪和养育行为之间的联系可能表明母亲如何参与认知策略以及生理调节能力的差异。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2023 APA，保留所有权利）。