Contributions of Parental Control and Self-Regulation Skills to Korean American Children’s Behavioral Outcomes.

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Children with high self-regulation skills can inhibit undesired behaviors and promptly activate appropriate behaviors in various situations by regulating their physiological and behavioral reactivity (Baumeister & Vohs, 2013). Mothers’ use of structured and reason-based control has been found to be associated with their children’s better self-regulation, and subsequent better behavioral outcomes (Barber & Xia, 2013). In contrast, restrictive control interferes with children’s fulfillment of their fundamental need for autonomy, which can undermine their ability to regulate their own behavior (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Parental control may be less detrimental to young Korean American children’s development because children are expected to obey elders and more likely to interpret parental control as parental care and affection (Chao & Tseng, 2002). However, few studies have examined the relation between specific parental control practices and children’s self-regulation and behavioral outcomes (Hemipel et al., 2018). Thus, we examined the mediating role of Korean American children’s observed self-regulation in the association between mothers’ use of parental control and children’s aggressive behaviors.

Korean American mothers with preschool-aged children (N=38; Mage=4.43, SD=0.93) reported their use of parental control in a semi-structured open-ended interview, which were coded using the Maternal Expressions of Strictness Coding Scheme (Cheah et al., 2015; κ=.89). Children were instructed to complete a puzzle in a curtained box to measure their lack of self-regulation skills. Children were tasked to not look under the curtain while alone, but the task was intentionally designed to be difficult to complete without “cheating.” (Eisenberg et al., 2001) The time that the children spent cheating were recorded and coded as dysregulation (IRR=.94). Children’s teachers reported on their aggressive behaviors at school (Hart & Robinson, 1996; α= .88).

Results revealed that children’s dysregulation, b = -9.01, SE = 5.71, 95% CI [-22.68, -0.58], mediated the associations between structured and reason-based parental control and children’s aggressive behaviors. Specifically, higher levels of reasoning and negotiation were associated with better self-regulation skills, b = -0.66, SE = 0.27, 95% CI [-1.20, -0.12], which in turn was associated with children’s lower aggressive behaviors, b = 13.69, SE = 6.34, 95% CI [0.82, 26.56]. However, mother’s coercive control was not significantly associated with children’s dysregulation or children’s aggressive behaviors, b = 2.41, SE = 3.37, 95% CI [-5.08, 8.76].

Our findings suggest that mothers’ positive control can promote children’s autonomy by granting opportunities to make decisions with appropriate structure. When mothers provide the reasoning behind corrective measures, children may self-regulate their own behaviors by internalizing their parents’ socialization messages, and thus, act less aggressively towards peers in social contexts (Baumeister & Vohs, 2013). Furthermore, the less detrimental effect of strict control practices on child outcomes may be due to Korean cultural values of filial piety (Chao & Tseng, 2002). Korean young children may be more likely to consider parental control are care and affection, and thus, to an extent, less intrusive (Kim & Rohner, 2002). These findings can inform family-based intervention programs for Korean American families geared towards the development of children’s positive behavioral outcomes.

Authors

• Hye-Jin Park, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Hyun Su Cho, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author