Parenting stress and children’s behavior: Transactional models during Early Head Start.

Abstract

Parenting stress and children’s behavior problems have frequently been linked, with bidirectional relations spanning from early childhood through adolescence. However, this association has not been well studied in infancy or toddlerhood, and prospective mediators have not been thoroughly explored. This prospective, longitudinal study utilized two transactional models to examine bidirectional relations between parenting stress and children’s behavior problems and explore perceived family conflict and parental supportiveness as potential mediators. Data were taken from the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Study, where 835 parent–child dyads were assessed at 1, 2, and 3 years. Parenting stress and behavior problems were measured at all 3 time points, while family conflict and observed parental supportiveness were measured at ages 2 and 3. Results indicated that parenting stress and children’s behavior problems were relatively stable over time and had bidirectional or cross-lagged associations. Family conflict mediated the relation between children’s behavior problems at age 1 and parenting stress at age 3, while parental supportiveness mediated the relation between parenting stress at age 1 and behavior problems at age 3, suggesting both “child” and “parent” effects that function through two different mechanisms. These findings suggest that early prevention programs should focus on both children’s behavior and parenting stress in the first year and work to reduce family conflict and increase parental supportiveness in order to disrupt this negative cycle.

Mothers’ and fathers’ parenting stress, responsiveness, and child wellbeing among low-income families

“…Although the family stress model theoretically accounts for the roles of both mothers and fathers in influencing child outcomes, most studies have focused on mothers. Recent studies suggest that higher maternal parenting stress is associated with lower child health ratings (Larkin & Otis, 2019), and mothers' supportiveness mediates the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior problems (Cherry, Gerstein, & Ciciolla, 2019). When examining fathers, cross-sectional studies show that fathers' parenting stress is associated with lower selfreported measures of caregiving involvement (Fagan, Bernd, & Whiteman, 2007) and child behavior problems (Lee, Pace, Lee, & Knauer, 2018).…”

Toddler Externalizing Behavior, Social Support, and Parenting Stress: Examining a Moderator Model

“…Measurement of stress, particularly parenting stress, as well as resources, such as social support, are important components in testing this theory. Parenting stress is experienced when the demands associated with parenting exceed the parent's perceived abilities and resources (Abidin, 1983;Cherry et al, 2019;Parkes & Sweeting, 2018). Although all parents experience some degree of stress, parents of children with higher levels of externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, defiance) exhibit increased stress compared with parents of children with fewer externalizing behaviors (Arikan et al, 2019;Barroso et al, 2018;Cherry et al, 2019;Lee et al, 2011;Solem et al, 2011).…”

“…Parenting stress is experienced when the demands associated with parenting exceed the parent's perceived abilities and resources (Abidin, 1983;Cherry et al, 2019;Parkes & Sweeting, 2018). Although all parents experience some degree of stress, parents of children with higher levels of externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, defiance) exhibit increased stress compared with parents of children with fewer externalizing behaviors (Arikan et al, 2019;Barroso et al, 2018;Cherry et al, 2019;Lee et al, 2011;Solem et al, 2011). Furthermore, mothers of children with behavior problems may experience higher levels of parenting stress compared with fathers (Foody et al, 2015), placing them at risk for depression, poor parenting self-esteem, and inconsistent parenting (Huang et al, 2014;Parkes & Sweeting, 2018;Pearl et al, 2014).…”

“…Social support also has been found to have particular benefits for those experiencing stressful life events or other significant challenges (Alloway & Bebbington, 1987;Barrera, 1986;Cohen & Wills, 1985;Lee et al, 2011;Maguire-Jack & Wang, 2016;Parkes & Sweeting, 2018;Schoefield et al, 2012). Additionally, research has found that social support is beneficial to mothers who experience the increased caretaking demands of early childhood (Arikan et al, 2019;Green et al, 2011) or parenting stress associated with raising a child with challenging behavior (BeLue et al, 2015;Cherry et al, 2019;Heberle et al, 2015;Huang et al, 2014;Maguire-Jack & Wang, 2016;Williamson et al, 2013). Therefore, social support may serve as an important family resource that buffers the effect of stress on parent functioning.…”

“…Although normative, these increases in behavior problems present daily challenges that may lead to increases in parental stress. However, social support may be an important resource for parents experiencing stress as a result of their child's behavior (Arikan et al, 2019;Cherry et al, 2019;Maguire-Jack & Wang, 2016;Parkes & Sweeting, 2018). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between toddler behavior concerns and parenting stress, as well as the potential moderating influence of social support, using family stress theory and the bioecological model as foundational framework.…”