Preschoolers' Mothers' Expression of and Coping with Emotion.

The aims of this study are as follows: (1) What emotions do mothers show in their preschoolers' presence? (2) What are their children's reactions to these emotional displays? (3) How do mothers cope with these feelings? (4) How do mothers evaluate these incidents? (5) Do mothers' methods of coning predict children's adjustment and social-emotional competence? 20 children and their mothers participated in this study, in which children's social-emotional competence was assessed in various ways, and mothers' emotions displayed with their rthildren present, and methods of coping with them, were assessed by a diary technique and a semi-structured interview. Results indicated that emotions mothers display, reactions given by children, and mothers' attempts to cope with affectively charged situations were non-random. Frequency of happiness, lower frequency of anger and tension, and explaining negative emotions were related to social-emotional competence variables. Apologizing for displaying negative emotions was more complex in its relation to social-emotional competence. Mothers who reported that anger could be beneficial had children who exhibited deficiencies in social-emotional competence. Further research should focus on the effects of mcthers' discrete emotions on young children's expression of , understanding of, and reaction to emotions.