TY - JOUR
T1 - Children's negative emotions and ego-resiliency
T2 - Longitudinal relations with social competence
AU - Taylor, Zoe E.
AU - Eisenberg, Nancy
AU - VanSchyndel, Sarah K.
AU - Eggum-Wilkens, Natalie D.
AU - Spinrad, Tracy
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - We examined the relations of negative emotions in toddlerhood to the development of ego-resiliency and social competence across early childhood. Specifically, we addressed whether fear and anger/frustration in 30-month-old children (N = 213) was associated with the development of ego-resiliency across 4 time points (42 to 84 months), and, in turn, whether ego-resiliency predicted social competence at 84 months. Child anger/frustration negatively predicted the intercept of ego-resiliency at 42 months (controlling for prior ego-resiliency at 18 months) as well as the slope. Fear did not significantly predict either the intercept or slope of ego-resiliency in the structural model, although it was positively correlated with anger/frustration and was negatively related to ego-resiliency in zero-order correlations. The slope of ego-resiliency was positively related to children's social competence at 84 months; however, the intercept of ego-resiliency (set at 42 months) was not a significant predictor of later social competence. Furthermore, the slope of ego-resiliency mediated the relations between anger/frustration and children's later social competence. The results suggest that individual differences in anger/frustration might contribute to the development of ego-resiliency, which, in turn, is associated with children's social competence.
AB - We examined the relations of negative emotions in toddlerhood to the development of ego-resiliency and social competence across early childhood. Specifically, we addressed whether fear and anger/frustration in 30-month-old children (N = 213) was associated with the development of ego-resiliency across 4 time points (42 to 84 months), and, in turn, whether ego-resiliency predicted social competence at 84 months. Child anger/frustration negatively predicted the intercept of ego-resiliency at 42 months (controlling for prior ego-resiliency at 18 months) as well as the slope. Fear did not significantly predict either the intercept or slope of ego-resiliency in the structural model, although it was positively correlated with anger/frustration and was negatively related to ego-resiliency in zero-order correlations. The slope of ego-resiliency was positively related to children's social competence at 84 months; however, the intercept of ego-resiliency (set at 42 months) was not a significant predictor of later social competence. Furthermore, the slope of ego-resiliency mediated the relations between anger/frustration and children's later social competence. The results suggest that individual differences in anger/frustration might contribute to the development of ego-resiliency, which, in turn, is associated with children's social competence.
KW - Anger/frustration
KW - Ego-resiliency
KW - Fear
KW - Negative emotionality
KW - Social competence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84897958216&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84897958216&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/a0035079
DO - 10.1037/a0035079
M3 - Article
C2 - 24364850
AN - SCOPUS:84897958216
SN - 1528-3542
VL - 14
SP - 397
EP - 406
JO - Emotion
JF - Emotion
IS - 2
ER -