Terrible Twos Conflicts Revealed

Ivanhoe Newswire

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Different factors in both the mother and child can determine how bad the conflicts during those terrible twos will be.

A new study from Lehigh University and the University of California-Davis finds the way mothers and their two-year-olds relate to each other, as well as the childs temperament affect the quality -- but not the frequency -- of conflicts.

Researchers looked at 60 mothers and their children during two sessions -- one lab visit when the children were 30 months old; one home visit when they were 36 months. They examined whether the conflicts had compromise, justification, or aggravation and whether they were resolved.

Results show there were frequent conflicts -- about 20 times an hour -- during both observations. The quality and frequency of the conflict varied greatly from as many as 55 times an hour to as few as five times an hour.

The study finds childrens temperament was related to the frequency and quality of conflict. Highly active children who had problems controlling their behavior had more conflict with their moms, while children who were highly active and those who had frequent and intense negative emotions had less constructive conflict with less resolution, more aggravation, and less justification.

Researchers say mothers and children who had secure relationships had constructive conflict with high levels of resolution, compromise, and justification. They conclude both the quality of childrens relationships with their mothers and childrens personality types shape the nature of conflict between mothers and their children at age two.

In secure relationships, both mothers and children seem committed to maintaining relational harmony by resolving conflict, compromising, and justifying their side of an argument, lead author Deborah Laible, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Lehigh University, was quoted as saying.

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SOURCE: Child Development, 2008;79

Last updated 3/27/2008.

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