Vrantsidis Daphne M, Wakschlag Lauren S, Espy Kimberly Andrews, Wiebe Sandra A
Center for Biobehavioral Health, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.
Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, 633 N. St. Clair Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
J Appl Dev Psychol. 2022 Nov-Dec;83. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101468. Epub 2022 Oct 10.
Boys are more sensitive to environmental factors like parental behavior, an important predictor of executive function. This study examined whether the interaction between child sex and maternal behavior was associated with children's executive function in a manner consistent with the vulnerability or differential susceptibility model. Participants were 146 36-month-old children and their mothers. Maternal responsiveness and negative reactivity were coded during structured mother-child interactions. Executive function was operationalized as latent self-control and working memory/inhibitory control (WMIC). Structural equation modelling supported a sex by responsiveness interaction for self-control but not WMIC. Consistent with a vulnerability model, less responsiveness was associated with poorer self-control for boys relative to girls. Boys' self-control may be more vulnerable to the negative effect of unresponsive maternal behavior helping explain boys increased risk for externalizing behavior problems.
男孩对诸如父母行为等环境因素更为敏感，而父母行为是执行功能的一个重要预测指标。本研究探讨了儿童性别与母亲行为之间的相互作用是否以与易感性或差异敏感性模型一致的方式与儿童的执行功能相关。参与者为146名36个月大的儿童及其母亲。在结构化的母子互动过程中，对母亲的反应性和消极反应进行编码。执行功能被定义为潜在的自我控制和工作记忆/抑制控制（WMIC）。结构方程模型支持了自我控制方面存在性别与反应性的相互作用，但在WMIC方面则不然。与易感性模型一致，相对于女孩而言，较低的反应性与男孩较差的自我控制相关。男孩的自我控制可能更容易受到母亲无反应行为的负面影响，这有助于解释男孩出现外化行为问题的风险增加。
