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Abstract
Although prenatal expectations for parenting are important, little research has examined expectations for temperament and its impact on post-birth maternal adjustment or early childhood development. This study investigated how prenatal expectations for temperamental difficulty predicted maternal emotion dysregulation in early infancy and child socio-emotional problems in 216 unmarried, Black mothers in the southern United States. Mothers completed surveys assessing expectations for temperamental difficulty (prenatal), maternal emotion dysregulation (3-6 months), and child socio-emotional problems (12-18 months). Path analyses indicated that mothers who expected more temperamental difficulty pre-birth showed greater emotion dysregulation postnatally, over and above pre-birth emotion dysregulation. Although there were no direct associations between temperament expectations and child socio-emotional problems, there was a significant indirect effect via maternal emotion dysregulation. Findings can inform prenatal interventions targeting expectations for temperament to improve maternal and child health, particularly in underserved populations.