Citation

Wamser-Nanney R, Campbell CL. Child Abuse Negl. 2019; 99: e104282.

Affiliation

Department of Psychological Sciences, 325 Stadler Hall, 1 University Boulevard, University of Missouri- St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104282

PMID

31821979

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Associations between parenting attitudes and behavior and children's adjustment are well-established, including links between negative parenting beliefs and increased risk for child maltreatment and poorer child functioning. Considerably less is known regarding what factors may correspond with parenting attitudes, particularly among at-risk samples. In line with theoretical models of the determinants of parenting, the aim of the study was to investigate correlates of parenting attitudes among child, caregiver, family, and neighborhood factors. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS/METHODS: The study included 1071 4-year-old children (48.8 % female; 55.7 % Black) and their caregivers from the Longitudinal Studies in Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) study.

RESULTS: Numerous factors were consistently related to more positive parenting attitudes (i.e., more appropriate parenting expectations, greater empathy, and valuing non-physical punishment), including greater educational attainment, caregiver history of child sexual and physical abuse, lower levels of children's internalizing symptoms, greater family income, and lower levels of psychological aggression. Lower levels of caregiver depressive symptoms, greater number of maltreatment allegations, use of nonviolent discipline, and less severity of stressful life events were tied to more adaptive parenting attitudes in one or two domains.

CONCLUSIONS: Caregiver, child, familial, and environmental factors, as well as child maltreatment, may be important in determining parenting attitudes. Identification of the drivers of parenting attitudes may aid identification and intervention efforts with high-risk samples of caregivers to help improve parenting outcomes.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Child maltreatment; Ecological model; LONGSCA; Parental attitudes