Poster #100 - The Effects of Parenting Stress on Adolescent Adjustment: Testing the Family Stress Model over Time

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Introduction: It is well recognized that parents’ psychological distress is linked to poor child outcomes. Most research on the negative influences of stress on families is based on the Family Stress Model (FSM; Conger & Conger, 2002). The FSM proposes that stress experienced by parents contributes to dysfunctional parenting behaviors, which subsequently increase children’s behavior problems. Nevertheless, only few studies employed longitudinal designs capable of testing the mediating effect of parenting in the link between parents’ psychological distress and adolescent outcomes. Moreover, these studies provided inconclusive results (Grant & Compass, 2003). In addition, many questions remain with respect to the the mutual influences of fathers and mothers in this pathway.

Aim: The current study focused on parenting stress as measure of parents’ psychological distress and examined the longitudinal associations between parenting stress, parenting behaviors, and adolescent behavior problems. To expand upon the FSM, we applied a family systems approach by examining the differences and mutual influences between fathers and mothers in the pathways from parenting stress to parenting behavior.

Methods: Longitudinal, multi-informant data including 485 adolescents (52% girls) and their parents (465 fathers; 482 mothers) that participated in an ongoing longitudinal study in Belgium. Parenting stress was assessed during childhood (Mage = 8 years), using the Parenting Stress Index. During early adolescence (Mage = 13 years), adolescents reported on parents’ overreactive and warm parenting behaviors using the Parenting Scale and the Parenting Practices Questionnaire, respectively. Adolescent behavior problems were measured during middle adolescence (Mage = 15 years), using the Youth Self Report.

Results: Results of the path analyses were partially consistent with predictions of the FSM. That is, parenting stress of mothers was associated with more adolescent perceived overreactivity of both mothers and fathers, which, in turn, predicted more externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in middle adolescence. Contrary to our expectations, parental warmth did not mediate the association between parenting stress and adolescent behavior problems. A crossover effect was found, indicating higher levels of overreactive parenting behaviors of fathers when mothers report greater parenting stress. Interestingly, fathers’ and mothers’ parenting behaviors appeared to be equally affected by parenting stress.

Conclusion: Our results challenge the fathering vulnerability hypothesis that fathering might be more vulnerable to stress than mothering (Cummings, Goeke-Morey, & Raymond, 2004).
Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of including both mother and father, as well as multiple informants in research on parenting stress processes, to enhance our understanding of the mutual influences among family members. Interventions aimed at reducing parenting stress and negative parenting behaviors might benefit from actively involving both parents, as mothers and fathers appear to influence each other’s parenting behaviors. The current findings also suggest that even subclinical levels of parenting stress are associated with negative outcomes for parents and adolescents. As such, when practitioners give attention to milder parenting stress symptoms of both parents, this might improve parenting behaviors and adolescent outcomes. To corroborate our findings, more longitudinal studies are needed that consider reciprocal and recurrent interactions between parenting stress, parenting behaviors, and adolescent outcomes.

Authors

• Donna de Maat, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Presenting Author

• Nicole Lucassen, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Pauline Jansen, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  Non-Presenting Author

• Renske Keizer, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ingmar Franken, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Peter Prinzie, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author