Rodrigues, G. A., Waslin, S. M., Nair, T. K., Kerns, K. A., & Brumariu, L. E. (2025). Parental emotion socialization and parent–child attachment security: A meta-analytic review. Emotion, 25(3), 775–781. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001457
Key Takeaways
- The study explores the relationship between parental emotion socialization (ES) and attachment security in children under 18.
- Supportive parental ES shows a significant but very small positive relation (r = .06) to attachment security.
- Nonsupportive parental ES is not significantly associated with attachment security (r = -.05).
- Parental elaboration shows a medium significant relationship with secure attachment (r = .24).
- Findings highlight parental elaboration as crucial for attachment security, suggesting further research is needed on ES roles.
Rationale
The review addresses the need to explore additional parenting behaviors beyond sensitivity that impact attachment security.
Secure attachment is linked to positive developmental outcomes (Groh et al., 2014).
Existing research emphasizes parental sensitivity but indicates modest effect sizes, pointing to other significant factors (De Wolff & van IJzendoorn, 1997; Koehn & Kerns, 2018).
Thus, the current study examines parental emotion socialization (ES), a critical but less explored domain, to identify its specific impact on secure attachment.
Parental emotion socialization refers to the process through which parents influence their children’s emotional development by modeling emotional expressions, responding to children’s emotional experiences, and guiding children’s understanding, expression, and regulation of emotions.
Prior research shows inconsistent effects of supportive and nonsupportive ES strategies (Denham, 2019; Eisenberg, Cumberland, & Spinrad, 1998).
Method
- The meta-analysis adhered to PRISMA guidelines.
- Databases searched: APA PsycInfo, ProQuest, ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Full Text; search conducted in June 2023.
- Search terms included variations and combinations of child-related terms, parental terms, emotion socialization, and attachment terms.
- Inclusion criteria: Studies published in English with participants under 18 years old, assessing both parental ES and attachment security.
- Exclusion criteria: Studies not in English, participants over 18, lacking ES or attachment measures.
- Final review included 18 studies.
- Data extraction was performed by two independent coders with high reliability (κ = .83-1.00).
Statistical Measures:
- Effect sizes (Pearson’s r) analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 4.0.
- Random-effects model used for variability.
- Trim-and-fill method tested publication bias.
- Q-statistics examined heterogeneity of effect sizes.
Results
- Supportive ES had a small positive significant correlation with attachment security (r = .06).
- Nonsupportive ES showed a very small, non-significant negative correlation (r = -.05).
- Parental elaboration demonstrated a robust medium-sized positive relationship with attachment security (r = .24), comparable to parental sensitivity.
- Valence of emotions significantly moderated nonsupportive ES, showing stronger negative relations for negative emotions (r = -.07).
Insight
The key insight is that parental elaboration, particularly around past emotional events, is notably beneficial for attachment security.
This emphasizes the importance of parents’ involvement in detailed, reflective emotional discussions with their children, potentially enhancing attachment security more than general supportive ES strategies alone.
The findings extend existing knowledge by highlighting the unique role of elaborative reminiscing (Fivush et al., 2006).
Future research could explore different types of parental elaboration and their specific impacts.
Clinical Implications
These findings suggest that practitioners should incorporate strategies enhancing parental elaboration in parent-child interventions to bolster attachment security.
Therapeutic interventions should prioritize enhancing parental elaborative reminiscing skills to strengthen attachment security.
Structured sessions can teach parents effective strategies for emotionally reflective conversations with their children.
Additionally, counseling could be personalized to address diverse family dynamics, ensuring relevance across varying cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
School-based programs could incorporate parental workshops or resources promoting emotional elaboration techniques.
These resources would equip parents to support their children’s emotional and social competence effectively, potentially reducing school-based emotional and behavioral challenges.
Strengths
- Adherence to rigorous PRISMA guidelines.
- Comprehensive inclusion of diverse ES strategies.
- High inter-rater reliability in study coding.
- Robust statistical analysis methods (random-effects models, trim-and-fill analysis).
Limitations
- Predominantly White, North American samples limit generalizability.
- Limited studies on fathers and nontraditional family structures.
- Inability to assess numerous moderators due to study scarcity.
- Limited longitudinal studies precluding causality inferences.
Socratic Questions
- How might parental elaboration influence children’s emotional competence differently from other forms of supportive ES?
- In what ways could cultural contexts alter the effectiveness of elaborative reminiscing strategies?
- What methodological changes could future studies implement to address existing limitations in assessing nonsupportive ES?
- How might practitioners practically encourage elaborative discussions in families resistant to openly discussing emotions?
- If nonsupportive ES showed minimal association with attachment, what alternative explanations might exist for emotional security vulnerabilities in children?
References
Rodrigues, G. A., Waslin, S. M., Nair, T. K., Kerns, K. A., & Brumariu, L. E. (2025). Parental emotion socialization and parent–child attachment security: A meta-analytic review. Emotion, 25(3), 775–781. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001457
- Denham, S. A. (2019). Emotional competence during childhood and adolescence. In V. LoBue, K. Pérez-Edgar, & K. A. Buss (Eds.), Handbook of emotional development (pp. 493–541). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17332-6_20
- De Wolff, M. S., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (1997). Sensitivity and attachment: A meta-analysis on parental antecedents of infant attachment. Child Development, 68(4), 571–591. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1997.tb04218.x
- Eisenberg, N., Cumberland, A., & Spinrad, T. L. (1998). Parental socialization of emotion. Psychological Inquiry, 9(4), 241–273. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0904_1
- Groh, A. M., Fearon, R. P., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Steele, R. D., & Roisman, G. I. (2014). The significance of attachment security for children’s social competence with peers: A meta-analytic study. Attachment & Human Development, 16(2), 103–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.883636
- Koehn, A. J., & Kerns, K. A. (2018). Parent–child attachment: Meta-analysis of associations with parenting behaviors in middle childhood and adolescence. Attachment & Human Development, 20(4), 378–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2017.1408131
