Journal article
Multifinality in pathways from early ecological adversity to children's future self-regulation: Elucidating mechanisms, moderators, and their developmental timing
Development and psychopathology, Vol.38(1), pp.47-60
02/2026
DOI: 10.1017/S0954579425000148
PMCID: PMC12353323
PMID: 40116012
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
Detrimental impacts of early ecological adversity on children's development are known, but our understanding of their mechanisms and factors contributing to multifinality of developmental trajectories triggered by adversity is incomplete. We examined longitudinal pathways from ecological adversity parents experienced when children were infants, measured as a cumulative index of fine-grained scores on several ecological risks, to children's future self-regulation (SR) in 200 U.S. Midwestern community families (96 girls). Parents' observed power-assertive styles were modeled as mediators, and their negative internal working models (IWMs) of the child, coded from interviews - as moderators. Both were assessed twice, at 16 months and at 3 years, to inform our understanding of their developmental timing. Children's SR was reported by parents and observed at 4.5 years. Path analyses revealed moderated mediation in mother-child relationships: A path from higher early ecological adversity to elevated power assertion to children's poorer SR was significant only for mothers with highly negative IWMs of the child. Maternal negative IWMs assessed early, at 16 months, moderated the link between ecological adversity and power assertion. Once elevated, maternal power assertion was stable through age 3 and not moderated by IWM at age 3. There were no significant effects in father-child relationships.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Multifinality in pathways from early ecological adversity to children's future self-regulation: Elucidating mechanisms, moderators, and their developmental timing
- Creators
- Juyoung Kim - University of IowaGrazyna Kochanska - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Development and psychopathology, Vol.38(1), pp.47-60
- DOI
- 10.1017/S0954579425000148
- PMID
- 40116012
- PMCID
- PMC12353323
- NLM abbreviation
- Dev Psychopathol
- ISSN
- 1469-2198
- eISSN
- 1469-2198
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Grant note
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: R01 HD091047, R01HD110427 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health: UL1TR002537
This work was funded by the grants from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD091047 and R01HD110427) to Grazyna Kochanska, and additionally supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health(UL1TR002537).
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 03/21/2025
- Date published
- 02/2026
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984801835002771
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