Examining the Mediating Role of Parental Practices on Children’s Academic and Mental Health in Low-Income Families Using Structural Equation Modeling

• In Event: Parenting and children's mental health

Abstract

Introduction
The impacts of maternal parenting have been well-established and are understood to play a prominent role in a child’s developmental outcomes (Feldman et al., 2009; Tough et al., 2010). Dysfunctional parenting practices such as overprotection and hostility contribute to insecure attachment with children and negative child outcomes such as internalizing and externalizing problems (Knox et al., 2011; Morris et al., 2002; Pinquart, 2017). In contrast, maternal responsivity is fundamental to children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development (Britto et al., 2017; Madigan et al., 2019). Difficult child temperament – or, specifically, negative emotionality – has a robust impact on parenting practices (Paulussen-Hoogeboom et al., 2007; Taraban & Shaw, 2018). The relationship between temperament and academic and behavioural outcomes has been well established (Bates et al., 2012; Guerin et al., 2003), but this study will be the first to examine these relationships together in one model and how determine how replicable the literature is on a low-income and diverse sample.
Purpose
Specifically, the following research questions were addressed:
1. Do perceptions of children’s negative temperament (i.e., more anger/frustration) predict the use of negative parenting practices (i.e., hostility and overprotection)?
2. Is there an association between poor parenting practices (i.e., lower maternal responsivity and higher levels of overprotectiveness and harsh punishment) and negative child academic and behavioural outcomes?
3. Is the relationship between children’s temperament and behavioural outcomes mediated by parenting practices?
Methods
The present study drew on data from a sample of 163 families from a large, longitudinal study. The average age of the children was 32.40 months (range = 30 to 42; SD = 2.61). The average age of the mothers was 34.35 years (range = 23 to 49; SD = 5.32). The average income of the households in the sample was between $50,000 to $59,999. Children’s receptive language was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Fourth Edition (PPVT-IV, Dunn & Dunn, 2007), a direct observational assessment. Their conduct problems were assessed through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). Parenting was assessed both through an observational measure and self-reported measure using the Responsive Interactions for Learning (RIFL; Prime et al., 2015) and the Parental Cognitions and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale (PACOTIS; Boivin et al., 2005), respectively. We used structural equation modelling to examine the relationship between children’s temperament, parenting practices, and child outcomes.
Results
The structural path analysis and the associated estimates can be found in Figure 1. Results show that harsh parenting was positively associated with children’s conduct problems. Overprotective parenting was negatively associated with children’s receptive vocabulary scores. Maternal responsivity was positively associated with better receptive vocabulary in children. Finally, harsh parenting played a significant and positive mediating role in children’s conduct behaviour.
Discussion
These findings of this study suggest that different types of parenting practices in low-income mothers have unique impacts on children’s academic and behavioural outcomes; therefore, interventions should be uniquely considered to the needs of the family.

Authors

• Samantha Caitlin Burns, University of Toronto
  Presenting Author

• Calpanaa Jegatheeswaran, University of Toronto

• Michal Perlman, University of Toronto