Erin N. Stevens, Nicole J. Holmberg, Christine R. Keeports, M. C. Lovejoy, & Laura D. Pittman
Northern Illinois University
 Several risk factors have been identified related to the development of anxiety
pathology including genetic, temperamental, cognitive, learning, and parenting
factors (Vasey & Dadds, 2001).
 With regards to parenting factors, negative parenting in particular has been
implicated in the development of anxiety (i.e., parenting characterized by
overprotection, intrusiveness, rejection, and/or control; Rapee, 1997).
o However, there is a lack of research examining how this relationship may
be influenced by individual difference factors, such as temperament.
 One potential temperamental factor to consider is effortful control (EC; the ability
to inhibit a dominant response, plan, and detect errors; Rothbart & Bates, 2006).
o EC is negatively correlated with anxiety (Moriya & Tanno, 2008).
o It also plays a role in the regulation of emotions (Spinrad et al., 2007).
 Prior studies with child samples provide disparate findings:
o Kiff and colleagues (2011) found a significant interaction effect between
negative parenting and EC in a sample of 8- to 12-year-old children.
o Morris et al. (2002) found that parenting and EC did not interact to predict
internalizing problems in 7-year old children.
 Hypotheses:
o Parenting factors and EC will be directly associated with anxiety.
o EC will function as a moderator for the relation between negative parenting
behaviors (i.e., overprotection, rejection) and anxiety, such that the
relationship will be significant only for those with relatively lower levels of
EC.
 Means, standard deviations, and bivariate correlations were calculated for
variables of interest (see Table 1).
 Four hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the moderating role
of EC in the relationship between each perceived parenting behavior and
anxiety symptoms (see Table 2).
Table 1
Descriptive Statistics and Correlations for Study Variables
Variable
1
1. Parental Rejection
2
3
4
5
6
--
2. Parental Emotional Warmth
-.72***
--
3. Parental Overprotection
.58***
-.36***
--
4. Parental Favoring Subject
.32***
-.25***
.17*
5. Effortful Control
-.21**
6. Anxiety Symptoms
.21**
--
-.10
-.19*
--
.22**
-.04
.16*
.05
-.32***
M
1.58
3.13
2.41
1.73
4.18
8.62
SD
0.46
0.61
0.52
0.58
0.69
8.54
Note. N = 162.
^p < .10. *p< .05. **p< .01. ***p < .001.
--
Figures. Illustration of Significant Interactions
Simple slopes analyses:
 There was a significant positive
association between parental
overprotection and anxiety
symptoms for individuals who
had relatively lower levels of
EC (β = .27, p < .01), such that
those who reported higher
overprotection endorsed
greater anxiety symptoms
 For individuals with relatively
higher levels of EC, there was
not a significant association
between overprotection and
anxiety symptoms (β = -.04, ns)
 The trend between parental
rejection and EC evidenced the
same pattern: a significant
positive association between
rejection and anxiety for those
with relatively lower levels of
EC (β = .28, p < .01), but not
for those with relatively higher
levels of EC (β = -.03, ns)
Table 2
 Participants & Procedure:
o Undergraduate college students: N = 162
• Age range = 18-31 years (M = 19.7 years, SD = 2.06; 52% female)
o Ethnicity: 59% White, 20% Black/African American, 12%
Hispanic/Latino(a), 6% Asian American, 2% Biracial, 3% other/unspecified
o Participants completed a battery of questionnaires assessing parenting
behaviors, regulative temperament, and anxiety symptoms.
 Measures:
o Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (EMBU; Arrindell et al. 1983): A
64-item self-report measure which assesses four dimensions of parenting
behavior, two of which are typically conceptualized as more positive
parenting behaviors (i.e., Emotional Warmth and Favoring Subject), and
two of which are typically conceptualized as more negative parenting
behaviors (i.e., Rejection and Overprotection; α = .70-.93)
o Adult Temperament Questionnaire, short form (ATQ; Evans and
Rothbart 2007): Only the effortful control (EC) was used in the current
study. The EC scale contains 19 items which assess individuals’ ability to
focus and shift attention, suppress inappropriate behavior, and perform
actions when there is a strong tendency to avoid them (α = .70).
o Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck et al. 1988): A 21-item self-report
measure that assesses typical features of anxiety that have occurred within
the past week (α = .91).
The Interaction between Perceived Parenting and Effortful Control Predicting Anxiety
Symptoms
Perceived Parenting Variable
Variable
Rejection
β
Emotional
Over-
Favoring
Warmth
Protection
Subject
β
Β
β
Step 1
Parenting
Effortful Control
R2
F
.16*
.03
.13^
-.01
-.28***
-.32***
-.30***
-.32***
.12***
.10***
.12***
.10***
11.12***
8.79***
10.30***
8.70***
Step 2
Parenting
.13
.04
-.32***
Parenting x Effortful Control
-.13^
.03
-.16*
.03
.02^
.00
.02*
.00
F
8.50***
Note. N = 162.
^p < .10. *p< .05. **p< .01. ***p< .001.
5.88***
-.32***
-.01
Effortful Control
ΔR2
-.33***
.11
8.45***
-.31***
5.82***
 Our results suggest a buffering effect of EC on anxiety pathology among individuals who are
exposed to higher levels of negative parenting (i.e., parental overprotection and parental
rejection), such that exposure to negative parenting behaviors is associated with anxiety
pathology only in individuals who lack a requisite level of EC.
 The moderating effect of EC:
o Higher levels of EC may act as a protective factor in the development of anxiety by
allowing individuals to modulate or regulate the negative emotions that result from early
childhood experiences, and specifically, negative parenting.
o Deficits in EC, however, may reduce the likelihood for individuals to effectively modulate
negative affective responses to negative parenting, thereby increasing the risk for anxiety
pathology.
 Stability throughout adolescent development:
o These patterns which emerge in childhood (e.g., Kiff et al. 2011) appear to continue into
early adulthood, thus underscoring the potential impact and stability of these associations
throughout development.
 Implications for intervention:
o Interventions designed to target EC be useful for mitigating the effects of negative
parenting by helping individuals improve their ability to modulate or regulate emotions.
o For example, computerized interventions designed to modify attention have been shown
to be effective in reducing anxiety pathology in children and adults (i.e., cognitive bias
modification for attentional selectivity [CBM-A]; MacLeod and Mathews 2012), and have
also been shown produce beneficial effects on other executive processes (e.g., EC).
Correspondence concerning this poster should be directed to: Erin N. Stevens, M.A., Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, estevens@niu.edu