Poster #133 - Associations Between Traditional Parenting Beliefs, Child Behavior Problems, and Dysfunctional Parent-Child Interactions

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

BACKGROUND Differing parenting practices and beliefs are known to have varying implications on child behavior (Baumrind, 1989, 1991; Carter & Welch, 1981; Querido, Warner, & Eyberg, 2002). Authoritarian parenting is a more adult-centered parenting style with emphasis on discipline and authority (Baumrind, 1967). Children of authoritarian parents are more likely to have internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, as well as aggression (Akhter, Hanif, Tariq, & Atta, 2011). With this parenting style focused on obedience and utilizing punishment to correct behavior, it seems noteworthy to examine the extent to which parents perceive interactions with their child as functional or dysfunctional. The current study investigated whether the association between parent-child dysfunctional interactions and child behavior problems was moderated by the level of parental traditional (authoritarian) beliefs.
METHODS Participants included 786 caregivers of three-year old children from an Early Head Start Sample. Caregivers completed the Behavior Problem Index (Zill & Peterson, 1986), Parental Modernity Scale (Schaefer and Edgerton, 1985), and Parent Stress Index – Short Form (Abidin, 1995). Analyses included the Traditional Beliefs subscale from the Parental Modernity Scale, and the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale from the PSI.
RESULTS Moderation analyses with bootstrapping procedures (Hayes, 2017; Preacher & Hayes, 2004, 2008) were conducted to examine the moderating role of parental traditional beliefs on the association between child behavior problems and parent-child dysfunctional interactions. Traditional beliefs significantly moderated the association (ΔR2 = .014, F(1, 335) = 5.91, p < .05). Follow-up conditional analyses indicated that child behavior problems were positively associated with parent-child dysfunctional interactions at all levels of parental traditional beliefs (i.e. average, and 1 SD below/above average; see Figure 1). There were no differences in reports of dysfunctional parent-child interactions at high levels of behavior problems. When child behavior problems were low, however, parents high in traditional beliefs reported more dysfunctional interactions with their children.
CONCLUSION The findings suggest that parents with very traditional parenting beliefs are more likely to perceive interactions with their children as dysfunctional, even when reported behavior problems are low. With a strong focus on obedience and control, typical child behaviors may be perceived as more dysfunctional and problematic, particularly in association with autonomy seeking. These findings have implications for parent training programs to educate about developmentally appropriate behavior in ways that minimally conflict with parental beliefs and values.

Authors

• Gina Erato, Oklahoma State University
  Presenting Author

• Mira Armans, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha Addante, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University
  Non-Presenting Author