Poster #126 - Longitudinal Relations between Family Conflict and Prosocial Behaviors: Parenting Stress and Intrusiveness as Mediators

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Moral Development

Integrative Statement

Early childhood exposure to family conflict can be stress-inducing, and stress has been linked to adjustment problems in later childhood and adolescence (Evans & English, 2002). Family stress theorists (Conger et al., 1994; Peters & Massey, 1983) have posited that exposure to economic stress can lead to parental mental health problems and subsequently influence parenting practices (including intrusiveness (Ispa et al. 2004) and pre-adolescents’ mental health outcomes (Conger, Conger, & Martin, 2010; Neppl et al., 2016). In one previous study, scholars also found supportive evidence for the Family Stress Model in predicting pre-adolescents’ prosocial behaviors (i.e., voluntary behaviors intended to benefit others; Carlo, Padilla-Walker, & Day, 2011). However, to date, studies examining the consequences of family conflict in early childhood on pre-adolescents’ subsequent prosocial behaviors are nonexistent. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal relations between family conflict in early childhood and pre-adolescents’ prosocial behaviors and the mediating roles of parenting stress and intrusiveness.

Participants included 3,001 children (36.3% European American, 33.5% African American, 15.4% U.S. Mexican; 43.6% boys) and their mothers enrolled in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. Parents reported on their levels of family conflict (Family Environment Scale; Moos & Moos, 1986) when children were 14 months old, parenting stress (Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction Subscale of the Parenting Stress Index; Abidin, 1995) at 24 months, and intrusiveness (Three Bags measure; see Fuligni & Brookes-Gunn, 2013) at 36 months. Teachers reported on children’s prosocial behaviors and compliance at Grade 5 (Social Skills Rating System; Gresham & Elliott, 1990).

Descriptives are presented in Table 1. We conducted path analyses to test the mediating roles of parenting stress and intrusiveness in the relations between family conflict and prosocial behaviors. We controlled for socioeconomic status, child sex, and program group assignment across the model, and for maternal intrusiveness at 24 months. The model demonstrated adequate model fit (see Figure 1). Family conflict at 14 months positively predicted parenting stress at 24 months and negatively predicted maternal intrusiveness at 36 months. Parenting stress at 24 months also positively predicted maternal intrusiveness at 36 months. Further, parenting stress negatively predicted prosocial behavior and compliance in pre-adolescence. Maternal intrusiveness negatively predicted prosocial behavior but was unrelated to compliance in pre-adolescence. There were no direct relations between family conflict and prosocial behaviors or compliance. However, there were significant indirect effects from family conflict to prosocial behavior (95% CI -.025, -.004) and compliance via parenting stress (95% CI -.026, -.004), and family conflict to prosocial behavior via maternal intrusiveness (95% CI .001, .016). Discussion will focus on the long-term effects of family conflict in early childhood on pre-adolescents’ prosocial behaviors and the mediating roles of parenting stress and maternal intrusiveness among low-income, diverse families.

Authors

• Sahitya Maiya, University of Missouri
  Presenting Author

• Gustavo Carlo, University of Missouri
  Non-Presenting Author

• Meredith McGinley, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
  Non-Presenting Author

• Deborah June Laible, Lehigh University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jean Ispa, University of Missouri-Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jihee Im, University of Missouri-Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erin Karahuta, Lehigh University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cara Streit, University of New Mexico
  Non-Presenting Author