Spouse, parent, worker: Role commitments and role-related experiences in the construction of adults' well-being.

Examined relations between adults' role strain, anxiety, and depression and 5 aspects of role-related experience: commitment, demands, satisfactions, evaluations, and social support for role-related activities. Participants were 102 men (mean age 34.6 yrs) and 194 women (mean age 32.4 yrs), all employed, in dual-earner marriages, and parenting a preschool child. High commitment to roles was not uniformly associated with greater well-being (e.g., a component of work commitment reflecting absorption in work was linked with a higher role strain in men). Diverse sources of support were linked with women's psychological states, but men's well-being was responsive chiefly to wives' support. Age and role-tenure had relatively little impact on the relations between role-related experiences and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work, parenting, and the socialization of children.

Examined how adults' investments in work and parenting impinge on socialization practices and perceptions of children's behavior. One hundred ninety-four employed mothers and 104 employed fathers, each with an employed spouse and a 3- to 4-year-old child, completed questionnaires about work and parenting, socialization practices, and perceptions of their children's behavior. Among the findings of particular interest: (a) Parental investment was a stronger predictor of fathers' and mothers' demands for mature behavior than was work investment; (b) women with high commitments to both work and parenting were more likely than others to engage in authoritative parenting; (c) parenting styles were related to mothers' ratings of their children's behavior; and (d) differences in involvement in parenting were associated with differences in how favorably fathers and mothers described their children. Taken together, the results suggest that men's and women's degree of investment in parenting is more consequential for their socialization practices and views of their children than is their degree of investment in work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting, parent–child relationships, and sexual possibility situations among urban African American preadolescents: Preliminary findings and implications for HIV prevention.

This article examines associations among parenting, parent–child relationships, and children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. African American families (N?=?310) with preadolescent children were interviewed regarding parenting, parent–child relations, and demographic history. Children were interviewed privately about their exposure to sexual possibility situations. Results revealed marginal effects of child gender as well as effects of parent education and parent employment on children's exposure to sexual possibility situations. An interaction effect indicated that parenting support may be a protective factor against exposure to sexual possibility situations among children whose mothers were adolescents at the time of their 1st childbirth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting behaviors and parent–child relationships: Correlates of peer victimization in kindergarten?

This study examined features of parenting behavior and the parent–child relationship as correlates of peer victimization in young children. A sample of 197 kindergartners (94 girls and 103 boys) and their primary caregivers were videotaped in their homes while engaging in multiple interactional tasks, and peer victimization data were gathered on children as they began kindergarten. The video-recorded interaction data were used to create measures of parenting behavior (e.g., intrusive demandingness, responsiveness) and relationship quality (i.e., intense closeness), which were examined as predictors of peer victimization. High intrusive demandingness and low responsiveness were associated with peer victimization in both boys and girls, and parent–child relationships characterized by intense closeness were associated with higher levels of peer victimization in boys. Results are discussed in terms of the role that caregiver socialization plays in the development of child behaviors that may increase children's risk for peer victimization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child parent relationship training: Parents' perceptions of process and outcome.

Child Parent Relationship Training (CPRT) is a play-based parent consultation model designed for children (ages 3–10) who may be struggling emotionally or behaviorally. CPRT aims to help parents develop empathy and appreciation for their children, increase parenting ability and confidence, and strengthen parent–child relationships. To date, the majority of CPRT studies have been quantitative in nature. There has been limited research on the effectiveness of CPRT using qualitative methodologies, but existing qualitative studies show promising results. The current study utilized an ethnographic approach to examine the acceptability and perceived effectiveness of CPRT. Findings indicated that the parents perceived the CPRT model to be both acceptable and effective (e.g., increased knowledge and confidence in parenting, enhanced parent–child communication, strengthened parent–child relationships, and reduced behavioral problems among child participants). Limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting and antisocial behavior: A model of the relationship between adolescent self-disclosure, parental closeness, parental control, and adolescent antisocial behavior.

This study used data collected from a sample of 840 Italian adolescents (418 boys; M age = 12.58) and their parents (657 mothers; M age = 43.78) to explore the relations between parenting, adolescent self-disclosure, and antisocial behavior. In the hypothesized model, parenting practices (e.g., parental monitoring and control) have direct effects on parental knowledge and antisocial behavior. Parenting style (e.g., parent–child closeness), on the other hand, is directly related to adolescent self-disclosure, which in turn is positively related to parental knowledge and negatively related to adolescents’ antisocial behavior. A structural equation model, which incorporated data from parents and adolescents, largely supported the hypothesized model. Gender-specific models also found some gender differences among adolescents and parents, as the hypothesized model adequately fit the subsample of mothers but not fathers. Mothers’ closeness to girls predicted their knowledge of their daughters’ behavior; mothers’ control predicted boys’ antisocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ineffective parenting and childhood conduct problems: The moderating role of callous-unemotional traits.

A sample of 6- to 13-year-old clinic-referred (n?=?136) and volunteer (n?=?30) participants was investigated for a potential interaction between the quality of parenting that a child receives and callous–unemotional traits in the child for predicting conduct problems. Ineffective parenting was associated with conduct problems only in children without significant levels of callous (e.g., lack of empathy, manipulativeness) and unemotional (e.g., lack of guilt, emotional constrictedness) traits. In contrast, children high on these traits exhibited a significant number of conduct problems, regardless of the quality of parenting they experiences. Results are interpreted in the context of a model that proposed that callous–unemotional traits designate a group of children with conduct problems who have distinct causal factors involved in the development of their problematic behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological predictors of parents' sense of confidence and control and self- versus child-focused gratifications.

23 mothers and 16 fathers (age range of mothers and fathers 25–31 yrs) of 1–4 young children (oldest child mean age 3.4 yrs, youngest child mean age 2.3 yrs) completed an interview about their parenting experiences. In addition to gender, measures of psychological differentiation (e.g., the Washington University Sentence Completion Test), perceptions of the marital relationship, and occupational identity status were used to predict the parents' feelings of confidence and control and self- vs child-focused gratifications. Findings indicate that as expected, mothers reported less confidence and control and more self-focused gratifications. Greater marital harmony and more advanced occupational identity statuses predicted more confident parenting; better marital relationships predicted a greater sense of control; and occupational identity status interacted with gender to predict gratifications. Although the direct effects of psychological differentiation were not significant, this variable indirectly affected parenting via its relationship to marriage and work. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mother–coparent relationship and youth adjustment: A study of African American single-mother families.

African American youth from single-mother homes are at increased risk for a range of adjustment difficulties. The family is a central context in which to study youth adjustment; however, much of the work on African American youth has focused on family conflict and maladjustment, with less attention to the supportive aspects of family relationships or their potential links with positive outcomes. This study examined the associations between conflictual and supportive aspects of the relationships that single mothers have with their nonmarital coparents and both positive and negative outcomes among 268 African American youth from single-mother homes. Findings revealed that mother–coparent support was associated with child competence, and mother–coparent conflict was associated with child maladjustment. In addition, positive parenting fully mediated these relations between mother–coparent relationship and child outcomes. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting behaviors and parent-child relationships: correlates of peer victimization in kindergarten?

This study examined features of parenting behavior and the parent-child relationship as correlates of peer victimization in young children. A sample of 197 kindergartners (94 girls and 103 boys) and their primary caregivers were videotaped in their homes while engaging in multiple interactional tasks, and peer victimization data were gathered on children as they began kindergarten. The video-recorded interaction data were used to create measures of parenting behavior (e.g., intrusive demandingness, responsiveness) and relationship quality (i.e., intense closeness), which were examined as predictors of peer victimization. High intrusive demandingness and low responsiveness were associated with peer victimization in both boys and girls, and parent-child relationships characterized by intense closeness were associated with higher levels of peer victimization in boys. Results are discussed in terms of the role that caregiver socialization plays in the development of child behaviors that may increase children's risk for peer victimization.     

Parent psychopathology, parenting, and child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families.

A structural model accounting for child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families was tested. Parents receiving substance abuse treatment (N = 242) completed forms about children between the ages of 6 and 18 who resided in their home. The effects of parent gender, child gender, and child age were controlled. Negative parenting was examined as a mediator between parent internalizing and externalizing problems and child anxiety and affective problems using path analysis. Negative parenting mediated relations only between parent internalizing problems and child affective problems. High-positive involvement moderated relations between parent externalizing problems and child internalizing problems. Relations between parent externalizing problems and child anxiety and affective problems were significant only among families in which high-positive involvement was present. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting children with anorectal malformations: implications and experiences

Parents play a crucial role in the life of a child suffering from an anorectal malformation (ARM), since their guidance contributes to the degree to which the child learns to cope with his or her disability. We investigated whether they experience stress in parenting such a child and also attempted to identify somatic or behavioral characteristics in the child that influence the stress of parenting. The parents of 109 children (69 males, 40 females; median age 5.9 years, range 1-18 years) with an ARM (58 low, 10 intermediate, 41 high) were studied. The Nijmegen Questionnaire on Child-rearing Situations (NQCS) was used to investigate the existing parenting situation. Behavioral characteristics of the children were studied by means of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Teacher Report Form (TRF). In a semi-structured interview, we investigated how parents experienced the implications of the disability in everyday life with their child. Our study showed that as far as the perception of parenting stress is concerned, parents of children with an ARM do not differ from those with healthy primary-school children. Within the group of parents with ARM-afflicted children, the parents of older, incontinent children experienced relatively more stress, especially when the child concerned was male. With regard to the children's behavior, the parents and teachers under investigation did not report a higher than normal incidence of deviant behavior. However, when individual parents observed difficult behavior in their child, they found it harder to deal with than the incontinence for feces. Regarding the implications of the disorder for their everyday lives, parents were concerned and indicated a need for specific counselling. We conclude that having a child with a somatic affliction, in this case an ARM, does not automatically imply that the parents experience child-rearing problems. However, certain groups of parents are more at risk, i.e., parents with older, incontinent sons and parents with children exhibiting behavioral problems. In addition, our study shows that parents do have difficulties in coping with the implications of the disorder and express a need for support. We feel that patient care can be improved if aid is tailored to these specific problems.     

Predictors of self-esteem for Mexican Anmerican and European American youths: A reexamination of the influence of parenting.

Decades of research with European American middle-class families have found significant relations between parenting behavior and child self-esteem. Similar research with minority and low-income families is rare. The present study examined the relation between parenting practices and child self-esteem among 70 Mexican American and 161 European American youths. The analyses consisted of regressing child self-esteem on parenting practices (acceptance, rejection, inconsistent discipline, and hostile control), ethnicity, SES, and the interactions between ethnicity, SES, and parenting practices. Several main effects and interactions were significant; for each interaction, behavior of low-income or Mexican American parents had less influence on children's self-esteem than did similar behavior by middle-class or European American parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Security, emotionality, and parental depression: A commentary.

New studies suggest that changes in family environments due to parental depression increase children's risk for psychopathology. However, some aspects of family and child functioning may not be adversely affected. Future directions include (a) more precise definition of the response processes that are at risk in children and (b) differentiation of response processes linked with different dysfunctional family processes (e.g., parenting, marital conflict). Little elaboration of conceptual models has occurred in response to recent findings. Emotional security provides an explanatory construct for how certain family environments associated with parental depression increase children's risk for psychopathology. New directions are outlined for the study of relations between family environments associated with parental depression and children's emotional security. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lesbian families: Clinical issues and theoretical implications.

Examines the influence of lesbian family structure on parenting within the context of both psychodynamic and family systems theories by providing a review of the literature, as well as information based on the author's clinical work with lesbians and their families. The uniqueness of the lesbian family is considered, and the varieties of lesbian family structure are outlined (e.g., blended, single parent, couples having children together, donors, and noncustodial fathers). The impact of parenting is discussed in terms of common issues in lesbian distance and boundary regulation, power/equality, shared parenting, relationships with extended families, lesbian friendship networks, and issues unique to lesbian "divorce." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workplace Triple P: A controlled evaluation of a parenting intervention for working parents.

This paper examined the effects of a parenting intervention targeting working parents called Workplace Triple P. The intervention targeted both parenting and work factors, focusing on key transition times (e.g., from home to work) and trained parents to more effectively manage these transitions. One-hundred-and-twenty-one working parents with children ranging in age from 1–16 years were randomly assigned to either a Workplace Triple P condition (WPTP) or to a waitlist control condition (WLC). Results showed that parents who had received the intervention reported significantly lower levels on measures of personal distress and dysfunctional parenting; and higher levels of work commitment, work satisfaction, and self-efficacy. Implications for the delivery of parenting interventions as employee assistance programs are discussed along with how such interventions can enhance work and family life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acculturation and adjustment among immigrant Chinese parents: Mediating role of parenting efficacy.

This study examined parenting efficacy beliefs as a mediator of the association between acculturation and adjustment. The sample consisted of 177 immigrant Chinese mothers and fathers with early adolescent children in Canada. Acculturation was assessed bidimensionally as Canadian and Chinese orientations. A latent psychological adjustment variable was composed of symptoms of depression, feelings of self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results showed that relations between Canadian orientation and psychological adjustment were partially mediated by parenting efficacy. As expected, the more parents were oriented toward Canadian culture, the more efficacious they felt in their parenting, which in turn was associated with better psychological adjustment. In contrast, mediation of relations between Chinese orientation and psychological adjustment was not supported, as Chinese orientation was not associated with parenting efficacy and was positively associated with psychological adjustment for mothers only. Similar results were found when the meditational model was extended to evaluate parenting practices as an outcome (i.e., warmth, reasoning, and monitoring). That is, parenting efficacy mediated the relation between higher Canadian orientation and more positive parenting practices, whereas Chinese orientation was unrelated to parenting practices. Invariance testing suggested that the models were similar for mothers and fathers. Results support the theory that higher orientation to Canadian culture may advance feelings of parenting efficacy because parents have the cultural knowledge and skills to feel confident parenting in a new intercultural context. Further, they support the expectation that parenting efficacy beliefs, in turn, are important determinants of psychological adjustment and effective parenting for immigrant parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intuitive interactionism in person perception: Effects of situation-behavior relations on dispositional judgments.

To examine the effects of the relationships between behavior and the situation in which it occurs, we manipulated such relations and exposed subjects to them. Impressions were similar when based on the behaviors presented with situations unspecified (e.g., child hits) or when the situations in which they naturally occurred were specified (e.g., child hits when provoked). However, when situations were specified, subjects' impressions more accurately predicted individual differences in the children's actual levels of overall aggressive behavior. When the veridical situation–behavior relations were increasingly altered, the targets were perceived as being less plausible and increasingly maladjusted and odd, and correlations decreased between the perceived level of the children's aggressiveness and their actual aggressive behavior. Thus, both personality impressions and predictive accuracy were influenced by the relations between the target's behaviors and their situational contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations of maternal socialization and toddlers' effortful control to children's adjustment and social competence.

The authors examined the relations of maternal supportive parenting to effortful control and internalizing problems (i.e., separation distress, inhibition to novelty), externalizing problems, and social competence when toddlers were 18 months old (n = 256) and a year later (n = 230). Mothers completed the Coping With Toddlers' Negative Emotions Scale, and their sensitivity and warmth were observed. Toddlers' effortful control was measured with a delay task and adults' reports (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire). Toddlers' social functioning was assessed with the Infant/Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. Within each age, children's regulation significantly mediated the relation between supportive parenting and low levels of externalizing problems and separation distress, and high social competence. When using stronger tests of mediation, controlling for stability over time, the authors found only partial evidence for mediation. The findings suggest these relations may be set at an early age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between parental control and warmth and child well-being in stepfamilies.

Examined type-of-stepfamily differences in child well-being and parenting behaviors and how child well-being in stepfamilies relates to parenting behaviors. Data were drawn from the National Survey of Families and Households (J. A. Sweet et al, 1988) and included fathers and mothers in 448 stepfather, 76 stepmother, and 41 complex stepfamilies. Biological parents in stepfamilies perceived themselves as having higher quality relationships with their children than stepparents reported having with their stepchildren. Although stepfathers reported behaving less positively toward their children than did other fathers, stepmothers reported responding as positively to their stepchildren as did biological mothers in stepfamilies. In general, child well-being was positively related to perceptions of parental warmth. The relations between parental control and child well-being varied for different dimensions of well-being and in different types of stepfamilies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)