Poster #123 - An Examination of the Relationship Between Observed and Self-Reported Parenting Behaviours in Relation to Child Outcomes

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Methods, History, Theory

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Both self-report and observational methods provide unique insight into parenting practices. Self-report methods can account for parenting behaviours across time and contexts (Boonen et al., 2015), whereas direct observations allow researchers to gain in-depth information in relation to real-time interactions (Gardner, 2000; Zaslow, 2006). To date, relatively few studies have examined the association between self-report and observational data in relation to parenting practices (Gardner, 2000). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between observed and self-reported parenting behaviours.

Methods: Participants included one hundred families (100 fathers, 100 mothers) and their children (mean age = 3.79 years) taking part in a longitudinal study. In phase 1, mothers and fathers completed variety of questionnaires including the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ; Robinson et al., 2001) and Behavioural Assessment System for Children (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004). In phase 2, families were invited to participate in a home visit. During this visit, parent-child dyads were videotaped engaging in a series of three tasks, one of which being a 10-minute free play task. All tasks were coded using the Parent-Child Interaction System (PARCHISY; Deater-Deckard, Pylas & Petrill, 1997); a Likert-type scale that assesses parents’ use of positive content, negative content, positive affect, negative affect, and responsiveness within dyadic interactions.

Research Questions: Our study addressed the following research questions: (a) Are mothers’ and fathers’ self-reported parenting styles (PSDQ) related to their observable behaviour (PARCHISY) during a free play task?; and (b) are self-reported parenting styles and observed behaviours predictive of children’s externalizing difficulties, adaptive skills, and behavioural symptoms index (BSI) as rated by parents on the BASC-2?

Results: Correlational analyses were conducted to answer the first research question. For mothers, higher levels of observed positive content and positive affect were associated with lower levels of self-reported authoritarian parenting, whereas higher levels of negative content and negative affect were positively correlated with authoritarian parenting. Within observed father-child interactions, responsiveness and positive content were negatively correlated with authoritarian parenting. Greater negative content was also positively related to fathers ‘authoritarian parenting style. To address the second research question, several multiple linear regressions were conducted. Mothers’ and fathers’ authoritarian parenting style were found to be significantly predictive of children’s externalizing difficulties, adaptive skills, and BSI. Additionally, mothers’ displays of negative affect during the observed free play were predictive of children’s externalizing difficulties. Mothers who were observed to employ more positive content during the free play task also rated their children as lower on the BSI. Conversely, none of the PARCHISY scores during father-child interactions were predictive of children’s behavioural outcomes.

Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of incorporating multiple methods when studying parenting practices, as diverse outcomes were obtained from home observations and parent self-reports. Information obtained from the observations may provide researchers and practitioners with insight into how parenting styles are related to specific observable behaviours, thus highlighting areas for support and intervention. Lastly, the inclusion of mothers and fathers provides a contribution to the literature, as the majority of parenting research remains relatively mother-centric.

Authors

• Vincenza A Martinovich, University of Alberta
  Presenting Author

• Cassandra Pirraglia, University of Alberta
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chelsea Durber, University of Alberta
  Non-Presenting Author

• Meghan Walker, University of Alberta
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christina M. Rinaldi, University of Alberta
  Non-Presenting Author