Parental Power-Assertive Discipline Mediates a Longitudinal Path from Infants Negative Emotionality to Defiance at Early Preschool Age: Child and Parent Effects in Mother-Child and Father-Child Relationships

In 102 families, we examined a mediated path from infants’ negative emotionality to parents’ power assertion at toddler age to child defiance at preschool age (all behavioral measures). In mother- and father-child relationships, infants’ negative emotionality and parental power assertion predicted defiance. In father-child relationships, we supported the mediational model.