Negative Beliefs About Parenting and Child Externalizing Behavior: Pre-Parenthood to Early Childhood

• In Event: Families as Systems and Subsystems

Abstract

Family Systems Theory states that individuals within a family influence each other in pursuit of shared goals (Cox & Paley, 2003; Newman & Newman, 2015). Furthermore, the spillover hypothesis asserts that negative experiences in one family subsystem may negatively influence other family subsystems (Kavanaugh et al, 2018; Lohman et al., 2013; Neppl et al., 2019). Therefore, parents’ intrapersonal relationships via their beliefs about parenting may influence their child’s developmental outcomes. Previous research has examined associations between beliefs about parenting and child outcomes (Di Giunta et al., 2020; Neppl et al., 2020). However, there is limited research that examines individuals’ negative beliefs about parenting before becoming a parent (pre-conception) in relation to children’s externalizing behaviors over time (Liew et al., 2018; Winstone et al., 2020). The present study examined the associations among negative beliefs about parenting pre-parenthood (Time 1; parent age 18, before parenthood) and later negative beliefs about parenting and child externalizing behavior (Time 2, child age two; Time 3 child age three, four, or five). We hypothesize that negative beliefs about parenting pre-parenthood will remain stable across time, after becoming a parent. We predict this will spill over into the child’s development and influence child externalizing behavior across early childhood.

Within Family Systems Theory, the concept of time is an important component to understanding individual and family development (Cox & Paley, 2003). A major strength of the present study lies in its prospective longitudinal design. Data come from the Family Transitions Project (FTP), an ongoing 32-year study of 451 rural white youth (target participant) and their families followed from adolescence to adulthood. The present study included 214 target participants (now adults) and their first-born child. SEM was used to examine the significance of the hypothesized pathways (see Figure 1) using full information maximum likelihood (FIML) procedures (Arbuckle, 1997) to estimate missing data. The model was fully recursive and all pathways were tested. The model fit the data well: χ2 (10) = 219.84, p = .00, RMSEA = .00, CFI = 1.00. All control variables (e.g., parent and child gender, etc.) will be utilized in the final model. Indirect pathways will be examined using bootstrapped sampling techniques in Mplus Version 8.0 due to the possibility of multivariate normality violation (Preacher & Hayes, 2008). Results suggest the stability of negative beliefs about parenting from pre-parenthood (age 18) to when they are parents of young children, as well as their association with child externalizing behavior when their child was age 2 and age 3-5. Child externalizing behavior at age 2 was not related to future negative beliefs about parenting, meaning that child behavior may not influence parental beliefs; rather negative beliefs may stem from adolescence and remain stable across time. Results may help influence social supports for individuals who plan to become parents or are parents of young children. Findings may influence interventions and outreach related to emerging adult education about parenting to create positive narratives surrounding parenting that may ultimately lead to positive developmental outcomes for children.

Authors

• Alison C. White, Iowa State University
  Presenting Author

• Olivia Diggs

• Tricia Neppl, Iowa State University