Predictors of Parenting Processes and Parent-Child Relationship Quality across Four Developmental Periods

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Parents play a pivotal role in children’s development, such as teaching children how to regulate their emotions. Parenting behavior is also directly linked with children’s mental health and well-being. Gaps remain, however, in our understanding of the various factors that predict parenting behavior across children’s development, and few studies have examined the parent-child relationship into emerging adulthood. Moreover, understanding parenting and the parent-child relationship in the context of COVID-19 is a critical research direction. This symposium presents findings from four independent samples of parents and children across four distinct developmental periods, including toddlerhood, early childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. The presentations focus on factors that may predict parents’ ability to effectively respond to their child, including the role of parents’ own emotional dysregulation and their child’s negative affect (Presentation 1), parents’ psychological flexibility and mindfulness (Presentation 2), and experiencing food insecurity during COVID-19 (Presentation 3). Presentation 4 considers the longer-term consequences for the quality of the parent-child relationship when parents and their child have discrepant views of the parents’ emotionally supportive behavior during childhood. The samples in the presentations represent both neurotypically developing children and children on the autism spectrum, and include both mothers and fathers. Together, the findings underscore the importance of considering the various processes underlying parenting behavior and the importance of parents for their child’s development, from toddlerhood and into emerging adulthood.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Sharyl E Wee, Southern Methodist University

Individual Presentations

• Mothers’ and Fathers’ Dysregulation and Response to Child Distress in the Context of Child Reactivity - Presenting Author: Mariam Hafiz, University of Texas at Dallas; Non-Presenting Author: Jackie A Nelson, University of Texas at Dallas; Non-Presenting Author: Nishita Patel, University of Texas at Dallas; Non-Presenting Author: Shayla C Holub, University of Texas at Dallas

• The Impact of Parenting Behaviors on Child Outcomes in Families with Adolescents with ASD - Presenting Author: Deborah Rafferty, Texas Christian University; Non-Presenting Author: Naomi Ekas, Texas Christian University; Non-Presenting Author: Chrystyna D Kouros, Southern Methodist University

• Indirect Effect of Food Insecurity Predicting Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interactions through Parenting Anxiety, Stress, and Confidence - Presenting Author: Monique Villamor, University of North Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Rayna Garcia, University of North Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Sydney Karcher, University of North Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Mahelet Dalke, University of North Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Jody S. Nicholson, University of North Florida

• Emerging Adults’ and Parents’ Perceptions of Supportive Parenting: Associations with Family and Parent-Child Relationship Quality - Presenting Author: Sharyl E Wee, Southern Methodist University; Non-Presenting Author: Naomi Ekas, Texas Christian University; Non-Presenting Author: Chrystyna D Kouros, Southern Methodist University