Individual- and Family-Level Associations between Child Psychopathology and Parenting

Abstract

Parenting can protect against the development of, or increase risk for, child psychopathology; however, it is unclear if parenting is related to psychopathology symptoms in a specific domain, or to broad liability for psychopathology. Parenting differs between and within families, and both overall family-level parenting and the specific parenting a child receives may be important in estimating transdiagnostic associations with psychopathology. Data come from a cross-sectional epidemiological sample (N = 10,605 children ages 4-17 in 6,434 households). Parents rated child internalizing and externalizing symptoms and their parenting towards each child. General and specific (internalizing, externalizing) factors, derived from a bifactor model, were regressed on parenting using multilevel modelling. Less warmth and more harsh/inconsistent parenting in the family, and toward a child specifically, were associated with higher general psychopathology and specific externalizing problems. Unexpectedly, more warmth in the family, and toward a child specifically, was associated with higher specific internalizing problems in 4-11 year-olds (not 12-17 year-olds). Less warmth and more harsh/inconsistent parenting are broad correlates of child psychopathology. Harsh/inconsistent parenting, is also related to specific externalizing problems. Parents may behave more warmly when their younger children have specific internalizing problems, net of overall psychopathology.