Citation

Favez N, Lopes F, Bernard M, Frascarolo F, Lavanchy Scaiola C, Corboz-Warnery A, Fivaz-Depeursinge E. Fam. Process 2012; 51(4): 542-556.

Affiliation

FPSE, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Family Process Institute, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1545-5300.2012.01419.x

PMID

23230984

Abstract

This article presents a longitudinal study of the development of "family alliance" from pregnancy to toddlerhood in a community sample, as well as its links with the emotional and cognitive development of the child at age 5 years. Family alliance is defined as the quality of the interactive coordination between family members. We consider that the alliance constitutes a context for the child to learn emotion regulation and to develop an understanding of inner states. Family interactions (N = 38) were observed at the 5th month of pregnancy and at 3, 9, and 18 months after birth in a standardized situation of observation (Lausanne Trilogue Play). Marital satisfaction and child temperament were assessed through self-reported questionnaires. Several outcomes of the child at age 5 years were measured: theory of mind performances, predominant emotional themes in pretend play, internalized and externalized symptoms. Results show that (a) three patterns of evolution of family alliance occur: "high stable" (n = 19), "high to low" (n = 10), and "low stable" (n = 9); (b) a high stable alliance is predictive of better outcomes in children at age 5 years, especially regarding theory of mind; (c) the temperament of the child is predictive of child outcomes; and (d) an interaction effect occurs between family alliance and temperament. These results highlight the importance of both family-level and individual-level variables for understanding individual differences in the social and cognitive development of children.

Language: en