The association between maternal social information processing and preschool children social and learning problems via maternal insightfulness and children's social information processing

• We found evidence for an indirect association between mothers’ social information processing patterns (SIP) and their children's problem behaviors in kindergarten via maternal insightfulness and the child's SIP. • Each step in this process was measured via different reporters: the mother, the child, the teacher, and a blind observer/coder. • We used five diverse assessment methodologies: self-report questionnaires, direct observations, interview, direct assessment, and teacher report. Research on early mother-child relationships have long established the associations between maternal thought processes and their children's thoughts and behaviors; however, the pathways behind this intergenerational transference have not yet been fully clarified. Accordingly, the current study focuses on the potential indirect associations between mothers’ social cognition, that is their thinking about social interactions, and children's behavior in preschool through the observed quality of the mother-child relationship and children's social cognition. Specifically, from mothers’ negative social information processing (SIP) patterns to children's social and learning behaviors via maternal insightfulness, dyadic mother-child emotional availability, and children's SIP patterns. The sample included 301 preschoolers and their mothers; data were collected via mother and child direct assessments, video-taped interactions, and teacher questionnaires. Results confirmed connections between mothers’ SIP and their insightfulness regarding their child's thoughts and behaviors, maternal insightfulness and dyadic emotional availability, insightfulness and children's SIP, and children's aggressive SIP patterns with their learning and social behaviors. A partial pathway was introduced and confirmed whereby maternal SIP predicted children's preschool behaviors via maternal insightfulness and children's SIP.