Maternal Emotion Regulation Strategies and Child Outcomes: A Comparison of Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Regulation

Parental emotion regulation (ER) shapes children’s development, yet little research distinguishes between parental intrapersonal and interpersonal ER in relation to child adjustment. This investigation compared intrapersonal (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) and interpersonal ER strategies (positive affect, perspective taking, soothing, social modeling) in association with children’s cortisol levels, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems in 167 mothers (45.6% multiracial, 33.1% White, 10.1% Asian/Asian American, 2.4% African American, 0.6% Latinx, 0.6% American Indian, and 7.7% unreported) and preschool-aged children (50.3% female). Parents reported their ER strategies and children’s behavioral symptoms, and children’s salivary cortisol was collected using standardized laboratory tasks. Controlling for potential confounders, greater parental use of interpersonal ER, namely social modeling, was associated with lower child cortisol reactivity. Greater use of cognitive reappraisal was associated with fewer child internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of considering both intrapersonal and interpersonal ER strategies in parenting and differential child outcomes.