PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Background: The familial context is assumed to significantly influence the development of child emotion regulation (ER). Placement in a foster family has a significant impact on the child's familial context. Besides, foster children with a history of maltreatment or neglect are at a greater risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. In this study, we investigated the influence of selected variables of the familial context on ER in young children of two samples. Objective: How is parenting behavior related to children's ER and how are both factors related to child emotional and behavior problems? Method: The primary caregiver of 99 children, growing up in their biological family, and 51 foster children, who were placed in a foster family during the previous 24 months, reported on their own parenting behavior as well as their (foster) child's ER and mental health. Results: While the parenting behavior significantly predicted adaptive (but not maladaptive) ER strategies in biological families, we found no significant influence in foster families. However, we found maladaptive ER strategies were significant predictors of child adjustment in both samples. Conclusion: The reason why the influence of the familial context on child ER is higher in biological families might be due to confounding genetic effects or to the fact that biological parents already had more time to exert their influence. Especially with regard to the foster families, the results provide important information for future interventions.