What a mother says and how she expresses her emotions has a profound impact on the emotional and behavioural difficulties experienced by young children, finds new research.
A study by Cardiff University's School of Psychology, published in Scientific Reports, has revealed how the emotional environment created by mothers can impact children's mental health.
Dr Ellie Dorrans, Cardiff University School of Psychology, said: "Mothers are rich sources of emotional information for children, with previous research showing that childhood emotional and behavioural problems have been associated with maternal anxiety, depression, expressed emotion, and facial expressivity. However, no study has examined these factors together."
We wanted to understand how the emotional environment mothers create relates to the severity of problems in childhood.
The researchers examined 134 children aged 4 to 8 who had been referred for assessment due to emotional, behavioural, or cognitive difficulties at school – they investigated maternal mental health, verbal emotional communication, and analysis of facial expressions using automated facial expression analysis technology.
Despite very few of these mothers having diagnoses of anxiety or depression, the researchers found that higher levels of maternal anxiety were associated with children experiencing more severe emotional problems that were directed inward - such as anxiety, sadness, and withdrawal. But for mothers who reported higher levels of depression, the researchers found children demonstrating more behavioural difficulties that were directed outward, including aggression, oppositional behaviour, and conduct problems.
Similarly, these mothers who expressed more negative and less warm attitudes toward their child were more likely to have children with significant behavioural difficulties.
"We found that mothers who showed little to no facial displays of anger while they were making negative comments about their child tended to have children with the most severe emotional and behavioural difficulties.
"This means that children may miss out on clear, consistent emotional communication that would normally help them recognise and respond to emotions, and prepare them for wider interactions with other children, other adults or school teachers.
"This study highlights that understanding children's development means considering, not just what mothers say, but how they express emotions with their faces while they speak and the importance of taking a multi-dimensional approach to understanding emotional communication, added Dr Dorrans.
The researchers believe this apparent mismatch between what mothers were saying and the emotions displayed on their faces may create confusing emotional signals for children, making it harder for children to accurately interpret emotional cues, understand social situations, and develop healthy emotional regulation skills.
Our study highlights the importance of emotional consistency. Children learn about emotions primarily through interactions with their parents.
"When verbal messages and facial expressions do not align, children may struggle to understand emotions and how to respond appropriately," added Dr Dorrans.
The research suggests that children's mental health is not only influenced by maternal anxiety and depression, but also by the consistency between mothers' verbal and non-verbal emotional expressions.
"Our research has important implications for professionals working with children and families. Our findings suggest that supporting children's mental health requires us to consider not only parents' mental health and parenting practices, but also how emotions are communicated both verbally and non-verbally. This should not be about placing responsibility on mothers or parents who may themselves be struggling. Instead, it highlights the importance of providing parents with appropriate support to manage their own wellbeing and to help them communicate emotions clearly and consistently with their children. Wider systems and services also have an important role to play in ensuring that parents have access to the support they need," added Dr Dorrans.
Supporting mothers - and parents - to model emotions clearly and consistently may help children develop stronger emotional understanding, emotional regulation, and social skills.
The research, Beyond Words: Associations between the Maternal Emotional Environment and Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms , was published in Scientific Reports.
