Determinants of Dual Trajectories of Korean Mother and Father Parenting

• In Event: Parenting Across Continents: Linkages, Pathways and Trajectories

Abstract

Introduction: Although raising children is described to be filled with rewarding experiences, parenting is routinely challenging, and emotionally and cognitively demanding (Craig & Churchill, 2018; Gulseven et al., 2018). Parenting stress has been regarded as a risk factor leading to detrimental effects on family functioning (Chester & Blandon, 2016; Mikolajczak et al., 2018), and negative impacts on child well-being (Garcia et al., 2017; Jackson, & Choi, 2018). Further, much of the prior research has mainly focused on mother’s parenting stress (Nomaguchi et al., 2017), indicating gaps in our understanding of father’s parenting stress over time. Belsky (1984) identified influential determinants of parenting such as parental psychological resources, child characteristics, and contextual sources of stress and support. Abidin (1992) suggested a parenting stress model wherein sociological, behavioral, and parent characteristics affect parenting stress. This study explored dual trajectories of, and a multitude of factors of parenting stress in Korean parents: (1) individual (child temperament, parent depression and self-efficacy); (2) relational (marital conflict, father’s involvement); and (3) contextual (negative family life events, social support) factors.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) and included 2,150 families across five waves when their children were 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 years old. Parenting stress was measured by the Parenting Stress Index Short Form, Child temperament by the EAS Temperament Questionnaire, depression by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, self-efficacy by the Pearlin Self-Efficacy Scale, marital conflict by the Relationship Dynamics Scale, father’s involvement by the Fathers’ Parenting Involvement Scale, negative family life events by the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, and social support by the Social Support Scale. The measures were translated and validated with Korean populations by the PSKC.

Results: Dual trajectories of mother and father parenting stress were examined using an unconditional Latent Growth Curve Modeling (LGCM), which showed good fit with the data (CFI=.95; SRMR=.04). Results indicated significant variability around the mean intercept (variance= 294, .180; z=21.96, 15.97; p<.000) and slope (variance=.007, .004; z=6.92, 3.37; p<.000, p=.001) for mothers and father, suggesting individual differences in the initial levels and change rates in parenting stress over time. The results of conditional LCGM (Figure1) showed good fit to the data (CFI=.95; SRMR=.03). Child temperament, parent depression, couple conflict, and negative family life events predicted increased maternal and paternal parenting stress. Self-efficacy, father’s involvement, and social support explained decreased maternal and paternal parenting stress.

Conclusion: Though most parents experience parenting stress in daily life, their stress has been recognized as a risk factor for not only family interactions and functions but also for developmental outcomes. Noting the growing appreciation of the significant roles of fathers in children’s lives, it is important to better understand fathers’ parenting stress as this may inform how to support fathers’ active participation in parenting. Findings supported that child and parent individual characteristics, couple relationships, and environmental elements contributed to the levels of parenting stress. These findings underscore the importance of considering a comprehensive and integrative approach to explicating determinants of parenting stress.

Authors

• SuJung Park, Texas Tech University
  Presenting Author

• Wonjung Oh, Texas Tech University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yunhee Kim, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hyoun K. Kim, Yonsei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ann M Mastergeorge, Texas Tech University
  Non-Presenting Author