Abstract
This longitudinal study examined relations between family expressiveness and child behavior problems. I explored how maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity might mediate associations between family expressiveness and child behavior problems. Mothers completed the Family Expressiveness Questionnaire at 9 months, the Beck Depression Inventory at 18 months, and the Child Behavior Checklist at 30 months. Maternal sensitivity during mother-child interactions was assessed at 18 months. A path analysis revealed that maternal depressive symptoms but not maternal sensitivity mediated the effect of family expressiveness on child behavior problems, although family expressiveness was not directly related to child behavior problems. These results suggest that the family emotional climate indirectly plays a role in the child psychological functioning.
