Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Developmental Psychology

Fathers’ reactions to child distress predict distinct socioemotional outcomes two years later

by Bianca Setionago
February 24, 2026
in Developmental Psychology, Parenting
[Adobe Stock]

[Adobe Stock]

Share on TwitterShare on Facebook

A new study published in Development and Psychopathology has found that the way fathers respond when their young children are upset can shape their emotional and social development in surprisingly different ways over time.

When children become frightened or overwhelmed, parents typically step in to comfort them. However, not all parents respond in the same way—while some minimize the situation, others become overly involved.

Past studies have shown that insensitive responses can contribute to anxiety, behavior problems, and social difficulties. However, most of that work has focused on the form of the behavior—such as being harsh or overprotective—rather than the function the behavior serves in the parent-child interaction. Additionally, research on parenting has focused mostly on mothers, leaving fathers’ roles less understood.

Cory Platts, Melissa Sturge-Apple, and Patrick Davies from the University of Rochester sought to address this gap. The study team invited fathers and their three‑year‑old children (235 pairs, 55% girls) into a laboratory designed to resemble a living room.

After a brief warm‑up period, a stranger dressed either as a clown or in a black trash bag entered the room and silently approached the pair. The goal was to create a mild but realistic moment of child distress, allowing researchers to observe how fathers naturally responded.

From these observations, the team identified two distinct caregiving patterns. The first, called caregiving deactivation, involved fathers who downplayed the situation, offered little physical comfort, rarely made eye contact, or appeared emotionally flat.

The second, caregiving hyperactivation, involved fathers who became overly involved—holding their child tightly, using exaggerated “sing-song” tones of voice, or even heightening the sense of threat by forcing the child to interact with the stranger.

Two years later, the researchers followed up with the families. Based on behavioral questionnaires completed by the children’s mothers, the team discovered that children whose fathers showed deactivation during the distressing situation actually showed reductions in oppositional behavior and hostility over time. These children became less defiant and less prone to angry outbursts.

Google News Preferences Add PsyPost to your preferred sources

Platts and his team suggested a reason for this: “parenting that is rejecting of children’s distress bids can communicate to children that intense emotional displays will not be tolerated, leading children to both conceal expressions of negative emotion and comply to parental authority so as to increase the likelihood of receiving affection from parents.”

In contrast, children whose fathers showed hyperactivation experienced increases in general anxiety and social withdrawal. These children became more nervous, more easily overwhelmed, and less likely to engage with peers. The researchers believe that when fathers respond in ways that heighten the sense of threat or overwhelm the child with intrusive care, children may come to see the world as more frightening and themselves as less capable of handling challenges.

“Overprotective parenting is not only thought to limit the child’s autonomy but also restrict the development of children’s self-efficacy,” the authors noted.

Importantly, the two caregiving patterns predicted different outcomes. Deactivation was linked only to externalizing behaviors like defiance, while hyperactivation was linked to social disengagement and internalizing symptoms like general anxiety (though notably, it was not linked to separation anxiety).

The study does have limitations. For example, mothers’ caregiving behaviors were not included for comparison, and the novel observation method utilized has not yet been widely validated. Furthermore, because child adjustment was assessed via mother reports, the outcomes primarily reflect the children’s behavior in the home setting, which may differ from how they act at school or with peers.

The study, “Patterns of father responsiveness to child distress and children’s socioemotional outcomes,” was authored by Cory R. Platts, Melissa L. Sturge‑Apple, and Patrick T. Davies.

Previous Post

Irregular sleep schedules are associated with altered brain structure in youth

Next Post

Scientists tracked a two-word phrase across millions of books to uncover a major difference in sexual psychology

RELATED

Scientists discover psychedelic drug 5-MeO-DMT induces a state of “paradoxical wake”
Developmental Psychology

Psychologists clash over the safety and effects of the cry it out parenting strategy

March 4, 2026
Traumatic brain injury may steer Alzheimer’s pathology down a different path
Cognitive Science

Growing up with solid cooking fuels linked to long-term brain health risks

March 1, 2026
Psychology researchers identify a “burnout to extremism” pipeline
Developmental Psychology

Irregular sleep schedules are associated with altered brain structure in youth

February 24, 2026
Scientists discover unique neuron density patterns in children with autism
Anxiety

Scientists trace a neurodevelopmental link between infant screen time and teenage anxiety

February 24, 2026
Parental math anxiety linked to lower quantitative skills in young children
Developmental Psychology

Parental math anxiety linked to lower quantitative skills in young children

February 20, 2026
Secure attachment to both parents − not just mothers − boosts children’s psychological development
Parenting

Big five personality traits predict fertility expectations across reproductive age

February 19, 2026
Cannabis use associated with better decision-making skills in people with bipolar disorder
Developmental Psychology

Childhood trauma changes how the brain processes caregiver cues

February 16, 2026
Virtual parenting games may boost desire for real children, study finds
Parasocial Relationships

Virtual parenting games may boost desire for real children, study finds

February 14, 2026

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Hypocrisy and intolerance drive religious doubt among college students

A single dose of DMT reverses depression-like symptoms in mice by repairing brain circuitry

Apocalyptic views are surprisingly common among Americans and predict responses to existential hazards

A psychological need for certainty is associated with radical right voting

Blocking a common brain gas reverses autism-like traits in mice

New psychology research sheds light on why empathetic people end up with toxic partners

Cognitive deficits underlying ADHD do not explain the link with problematic social media use

Scientists identify brain regions associated with auditory hallucinations in borderline personality disorder

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Mental Health
  • Neuroimaging
  • Personality Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Contact us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Do not sell my personal information

(c) PsyPost Media Inc

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

(c) PsyPost Media Inc