Poster #73 - Moderating Role of Partner Relationship in Parenting Stress and Feeding

• In Event: Poster Session 18

Abstract

Introduction. High obesity rates among Hispanic children are a critical health concern, highlighting the need to understand factors that may underlie these disparities (Kumar, & Kaufman, 2018). Evidence indicates association among parenting stress, food parenting behaviors, and child obesity (Patel et al., 2018). For instance, parenting stress is associated with higher use of controlling feeding (restriction, pressure to eat (PTE)) and less frequent food monitoring (Gonzalez et al., 2022), both of which are associated with higher child weight (Spill et al., 2019). While Hispanic parents have been found to experience higher levels of parenting stress (Nomaguchi & House, 2013), there is little understanding of how family dynamics may affect this association. Family relationships, such as partner relationship quality, play a central role in Hispanic culture and may be an important component to parenting and child health (Orengo-Aguayo, 2015). Partner relationship quality has been found to be a potential moderator in the association between stress and general parenting behaviors (Kim et al., 2005). Partner relationship quality encompasses positive aspects such as partner support, characterized by high warmth, and negative aspects such as hostility (Carr, 2016). While partner hostility has been found to undermine parent-child relationship quality and is related to the consistency of parental discipline practices (Cox, Paley, and Harter, 2001), partner support has been found to be associated with reduced parenting stress and less harshness in parenting (Sampson et al., 2015). In the context of feeding, parents who experience partner warmth without hostility may have the resources necessary to engage in positive food parenting behaviors with their children in the context of high stress. The current study tested two hypotheses:

Hypotheses. H1: Parents with high parenting stress use more controlling and less monitoring feeding behaviors; H2: High partner relationship quality characterized by high warmth and low hostility, moderates the relationship between parenting stress and controlling feeding/monitoring.

Study Population. A subsample of Mexican-origin mothers (n = 47) and their preschool-aged children (mean age = 2.76 years; 49% males) participating in the California Babies Project. Data collection is ongoing (final sample size ≈ 70).

Methods. At a single visit, caregivers completed questionnaires measuring parenting stress (Parenting Stress Inventory), feeding practices (Child Feeding Questionnaire), and relationship quality (Behavioral Affect Rating Scale).

Results. Preliminary analyses found significant bivariate correlations between food monitoring and parenting stress (r = -0.38, p < .05) and relationship quality (r = 0.36, p < .05); no significant associations were found with restriction or PTE. The association between parenting stress and relationship quality was also significant (r = -0.38, p < .05). Final analyses will utilize linear regression modeling to test for moderation of relationship quality on parenting stress in predicting food monitoring.

Discussion: Findings suggest that feeling supported by a partner is associated with less stress and higher engagement in positive feeding. Likewise, lower perceptions of stress are also associated with positive feeding. Taken together, the findings provide support for further analyses testing the interaction between parenting stress and relationship quality in relation to food monitoring.

Authors

• Jing Li, University of California - Davis
  Presenting Author

• Lenna L Ontai, University of California - Davis

• Leah Corinne Hibel, University of California - Davis

• Chase James Boyer, University of California - Davis