Parental neuroticism and limit-setting: The role of household chaos and parental perspective-taking

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

As a parental control strategy, limit-setting describes parenting behaviors aimed at providing firm, clear, and consistent limits regulating children to achieve appropriate and desirable behaviors (Houck & Lecuyer-Maus, 2004). Parental maladaptive limit-setting compromises a wide variety of child developmental outcomes, including social competence (Houck & Lecuyer-Maus, 2004), behavioral adjustment (Reed et al., 2017), and school readiness (Walker & MacPhee, 2011). As such, understanding the antecedents of harsh or negative limit-setting behaviors is an important area of inquiry. Studies have demonstrated that parent personality characteristics, such as neuroticism, predict parenting behaviors (McCabe, 2014; Zvara et al., 2019). However, little is known about which factors might explain the association between parental neuroticism and dysfunctional parenting behaviors (mediators), or under what circumstances such an association could be attenuated (moderators). Identifying these factors is critical for advancing parenting theories and providing guidelines for future intervention programs. Drawing from the process model of parenting (Belsky, 1984), the current study first examined the role of household chaos as a mediator underlying the association between parental neuroticism and problematic limit-setting. Guided by the dual system model (Hofmann et al., 2009), the study then tested the role of parental perspective-taking as a moderator in the association between parental neuroticism and limit-setting (see Figure 1 for the hypothesized model).
In a longitudinal design, the study adopted a multimethod (survey and observation) approach to assess limit-setting at two time points one year apart. One hundred thirty-four parents and their children aged between 4 and 7 years old were recruited in Hong Kong. Data were analyzed using Bayesian estimation. The findings revealed that household chaos mediated the relationship between parental neuroticism and negative limit-setting. Parental perspective-taking alleviated the mediational pathway but not the directional association. Specifically, when parents displayed a higher level of cognitive perspective-taking, the indirect association between parental neuroticism and limit-setting was no longer significant (see Figure 2 for moderated mediation effect).
The present findings contribute to the literature by identifying that the family physical environment serves as an important underlying mechanism in the relationship between parental neuroticism and parenting behaviors. One direction for future parenting interventions is to stress the importance of routine, order, and calmness in the household. The current study also built upon the dual-system model by identifying parental perspective-taking as a protective factor in parenting. Perspective-taking training has practical implications in designing parenting interventions.

Authors

• Xiaozi Gao, The Education University of Hong Kong
  Presenting Author

• Zhenlin Wang, The Education University of Hong Kong
  Non-Presenting Author