Parenting perfectionism and parental adjustment

Lee, Meghan A.; Schoppe‐Sullivan, Sarah J.; Dush, Claire M. Kamp

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.047

Cited by 45 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…However, these mothers also scored high on the Critical Assessment and the Physically Controlling scales during the Etch‐A‐Sketch task, which appears to be counterintuitive. We speculate that this factor assessed how much the mother enjoyed her role as a mother or wished to convey her enjoyment, perhaps with consideration for social desirability and performance, because maternal perfectionism was linked not only to higher levels of criticism, but also to higher levels of parenting satisfaction in previous studies . The loading of the EAS subscales suggest that these mothers prioritised reaching the goals of the task (drawing the house) compared to cooperating with their children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Dissecting maternal care: Patterns of maternal parenting in a prospective cohort study

Unternäehrer

Cost

Bouvette‐Turcot

et al. 2019

J Neuroendocrinology

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Parental care has a strong impact on neurodevelopment and mental health in the offspring. Although numerous animal studies have revealed that the parental brain is a highly complex system involving many brain structures and neuroendocrine systems, human maternal parenting as a multidimensional construct with cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components has not been characterised comprehensively. This unique multi‐method analysis aimed to examine patterns of self‐reported and observed parenting from 6 to 60 months postpartum in a cohort of 496 mothers (mean maternal age = 32 years). Self‐report questionnaires assessed motivational components of mothering, parenting stress, parenting‐related mood, maternal investment, maternal parenting style, mother‐child relationship satisfaction, and mother‐child bonding at multiple time points. Observed parenting variables included the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scales at 6 and 18 months, the Behavioral Evaluation Strategies Taxonomies at 6 months, an Etch‐A‐Sketch cooperation task at 48 months, and the Parent‐Child Early Relationship Assessment at 60 months. To examine whether different latent constructs underlie these measures of maternal parenting, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis. Self‐report measures of parenting correlated only weakly with behavioural observations. Factor analysis on a subsample (n = 197) revealed four latent factors that each explained from 7% to 11% of the variance in the data (32% total variance explained). Based on the loadings of the instruments, the factors were interpreted as: Supportive Parenting, Self‐Enjoyment Parenting, Overwhelmed Parenting, and Affectionate Parenting. These factor scores showed specific associations with maternal education and depressive symptoms, as well as with child outcomes, including maternally reported internalising and externalising behavioural problems, school readiness, and child‐reported symptoms of mental health. These findings parallel the complexity of the parental brain, suggesting that maternal parenting consists of multiple components, each of which is associated with different maternal characteristics and child outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Dissecting maternal care: Patterns of maternal parenting in a prospective cohort study

Unternäehrer

Cost

Bouvette‐Turcot

et al. 2019

J Neuroendocrinology

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“…Or, parents of intelligent, high-achieving children may also be high-achieving and successful (e.g., heritability for IQ is moderate), and put greater pressure on themselves and their children to excel, exacerbating stress. For example, parenting stress is associated with parental perfectionism (Lee, Schoppe-Sulivan, & Kamp Dush, 2012) and use of more controlling strategies regarding children’s academics (Rogers, Wiener, Marton, & Tannock, 2009), which may impair parent-child relations and exacerbate familial stress among high-achieving children (Qin, Rak, Rana, & Donnellan, 2012). As caregivers of children with greater cognitive abilities likely have higher expectations, they may become increasing discouraged and overwhelmed when their intelligent and capable child succumbs to emotional and behavioral dysregulation, does not perform the way he/she otherwise might, and experiences unexpected social problems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting Stress Among Caregivers of Children With Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Algorta

MacPherson

Youngstrom

et al. 2017

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology

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Objective Caregivers of psychiatrically impaired children experience considerable parenting stress. However, no research has evaluated parenting stress within the context of pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSD). Thus, the aim of this investigation was to identify predictors and moderators of stress among caregivers in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) study. Method Participants included 640 children and their caregivers in the LAMS cohort. Children had a mean age of 9.4±1.9 years (68% male, 23% BPSD); parents had a mean age of 36.5±8.3 years (84% mothers). Results Children with BPSD had more service utilization, psychiatric diagnoses, mood and anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment, but fewer disruptive behavior disorders. Caregivers of children with BPSD were more likely than caregivers of children without BPSD to have a partner, elevated depressive symptoms, antisocial tendencies, and parenting stress (Cohen’s d=.49). For the whole sample, higher child IQ, mania, anxiety, disruptive behavior, and caregiver depression predicted increased parenting stress; maternal conduct disorder predicted lower stress. Child anxiety and disruptive behavior were associated with elevated caregiver stress only for non-BPSD children. Conclusions Caregivers of children with BPSD experience significant burden and thus require specialized, family-focused interventions. As stress was also elevated, to a lesser degree, among depressed caregivers of children with higher IQ, mania, anxiety, and disruptive behavior, these families may need additional supports as well. Though parents with conduct/antisocial problems evidenced lower stress, these difficulties should be monitored. Thus, parenting stress should be evaluated and addressed in the treatment of childhood mental health problems, especially BPSD.

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“…The data also support Giles and colleagues' () supposition that intended parenting behaviors take shape long before the transition to parenthood, and early interventions may therefore be fruitful to the extent that intentions are more malleable in the early stages of their formation. Parenting educators should, however, also discuss the positive and negative reasons for which parenting behaviors diverge from parenting intentions, because acknowledging the inevitability that some different‐than‐intended decisions will be made could reduce the pressure, worry, and guilt that parents with young children often feel (Delmore‐Ko, Pancer, Hunsberger, & Pratt, ; M. A. Lee, Schoppe‐Sullivan, & Kamp Dush, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parenting educators should, however, also discuss the positive and negative reasons for which parenting behaviors diverge from parenting intentions, because acknowledging the inevitability that some different-than-intended decisions will be made could reduce the pressure, worry, and guilt that parents with young children often feel (Delmore-Ko, Pancer, Hunsberger, & Pratt, 2000; M. A. Lee, Schoppe-Sullivan, & Kamp Dush, 2012).…”

Section: Implications and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective Parents' Knowledge About Parenting and Their Anticipated Child‐Rearing Decisions

Powell

Karraker

2017

Family Relations

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Objective To examine whether the theory of planned behavior can be used to understand intentions for child‐rearing practices. Background Parenting intentions are formed before becoming a parent, but it is less clear what nonparents' intentions are and how subjective norms, attitudes, and perceived control predict their intentions. Method Nonparent emerging adults (N = 353, Mage = 19.6 years, 72% female) were asked about their intentions to (a) breastfeed or support a partner in breastfeeding, (b) circumcise a male infant, (c) co‐sleep, and (4) put their infant in nonparental daytime care. They were also asked what proportion of American parents they thought engaged in each and why they would or would not engage in each practice. Results Most intended to breastfeed and to circumcise their male infants, but not to co‐sleep or to put their infant in nonparental daytime care. Participants' inaccurate knowledge about actual parents' behavior (i.e., subjective norms) and the factors that they thought might affect their own future behavior (i.e., attitudes toward and perceived control) were associated with their intentions for the child‐rearing practices. Conclusion This study replicated prior research on breastfeeding intentions and extended the viability of the theory of planned behavior to understand prospective parents' intentions for other child‐rearing practices. Implications Practitioners should consider discussing the norms surrounding child‐rearing behaviors during health‐ and development‐focused courses in secondary or postsecondary school and with expecting couples.

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Parenting perfectionism and parental adjustment

Cited by 45 publications

References 22 publications

Dissecting maternal care: Patterns of maternal parenting in a prospective cohort study

Dissecting maternal care: Patterns of maternal parenting in a prospective cohort study

Parenting Stress Among Caregivers of Children With Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Prospective Parents' Knowledge About Parenting and Their Anticipated Child‐Rearing Decisions

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