Predictors of change in mothers’ and fathers’ parent-child aggression risk

Abstract

Parents’ cognitive schemas about parenting, personal vulnerabilities, and personal resources may affect their risk of engaging in parent-child aggression (PCA). This longitudinal study examined predictors of change in mothers’ and fathers’ PCA risk across the transition to parenthood, comparing trajectories of parents evidencing high versus low sociodemographic risk. Potential predictors involved parenting-relevant schemas (consistent with Social Information Processing theory, including approval of PCA, negative attributions of child behavior, and knowledge of nonphysical discipline options), personal vulnerabilities (psychopathology, intimate partner violence, substance use issues), and resources (problem-focused coping, emotion regulation, social support, and partner satisfaction). Results indicated that increases in PCA approval, negative child behavior attributions, and symptoms of psychopathology, as well as decreases in problem-focused coping skills, emotion regulation ability, and partner satisfaction, all significantly predicted changes in mothers’ and fathers’ PCA risk over time—regardless of risk group status. Notably, increases in intimate partner violence victimization and decreases in social support satisfaction predicted mothers’ but not fathers’ PCA risk change; moreover, increases in knowledge of nonphysical discipline alternatives or in substance use issues did not predict change in PCA risk for either mothers or fathers. Risk groups differed in PCA risk across all predictors with minimal evidence of differential trajectories. Overall, these findings have important implications for child abuse prevention programs involving both universal and secondary abuse prevention efforts.

Parental Social Isolation and Child Maltreatment Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In addition, the current study results suggested that perceived parental social isolation may be associated with increased risk for child maltreatment, thus extending prior research showing that social isolation and lack of social support are risk factors for child maltreatment (Ono & Honda, 2017 ; Rodriguez et al, 2018 ; Schaeffer et al, 2005 ; Tucker & Rodriguez, 2014 ), even after accounting for the associations with parental depressive symptoms (Dubowitz et al, 2011 ; Lee, 2013 ; Lee et al, 2012 ; Mennen & Trickett, 2011 ; Stith et al, 2009 ) and unemployment or economic strain (Cancian et al, 2010 ; Slack et al, 2004 ). The emotional and psychological strains of perceived social isolation during a pandemic may be problematic for many adults who are parenting at least one child under the age of 12, after accounting for other challenging circumstances such as changes in employment status and parental depression.…”

“…Although required in order to prevent disease spread, social distancing removed social, educational, and community supports that buffer parents in times of crisis. Indeed, research shows that parents who are at risk to engage in physical child abuse are less likely to perceive their social networks as satisfying (Ono & Honda, 2017 ; Schaeffer et al, 2005 ), and lower social support satisfaction predicts increases in child abuse risk over time (Rodriguez et al, 2018 ). In contrast, greater perceived social support is associated with lower risk of child neglect (Freisthler et al, 2014 ; Stith et al, 2009 ) as well as lower physical child abuse risk in both mothers and fathers (Rodriguez et al, 2016 ; Smith Slep & O’Leary, 2007 ).…”

Parental Social Isolation and Child Maltreatment Risk During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These results extend prior research showing that social isolation and lack of social support are risk factors for child maltreatment (Ono & Honda, 2017;Rodriguez et al, 2018;Schaeffer et al, 2005;Tucker & Rodriguez, 2014), even after accounting for the associations with parental depressive symptoms (Dubowitz et al, 2011;Lee, 2013;Lee et al, 2012;Mennen & Trickett, 2011;Stith et al, 2009) and unemployment or economic strain (Cancian et al, 2010;Slack et al, 2004) to maltreatment risk. The current study suggests that the emotional and psychological strains of perceived social isolation during a pandemic may be problematic for many adults who are parenting at least one child under the age of 12, after accounting for other challenging circumstances such as changes in employment status and parental depression.…”

“…Although required in order to prevent disease spread, social distancing removed social, educational, and community supports that buffer parents in times of crisis. Indeed, research shows that parents who are at risk to engage in physical child abuse are less likely to perceive their social networks as satisfying (Ono & Honda, 2017;Schaeffer et al, 2005), and lower social support satisfaction predicts increases in child abuse risk over time (Rodriguez et al, 2018). In contrast, greater perceived social support is associated with lower risk of child neglect (Freisthler et al, 2014;Stith et al, 2009) as well as lower physical child abuse risk in both mothers and fathers (Rodriguez et al, 2016;Smith Slep & O'Leary, 2007).…”

Testosterone Associations With Parents’ Child Abuse Risk and At-Risk Parenting: A Multimethod Longitudinal Examination

“…Moreover, those with high testosterone levels and aggressive tendencies did not modulate their emotions (Kaldewaij et al, 2019), suggesting that those with higher testosterone levels and poor emotion regulation may be more inclined to react aggressively. Notably, greater stress from the parenting role (Lowell & Renk, 2017; Miragoli et al, 2018) and poorer emotion regulation skills are also both connected to greater child abuse risk (Hiraoka et al, 2016; Lowell & Renk, 2017; Rodriguez et al, 2017, 2018). Potentially, socioeconomic status, stress from the restrictiveness of the parenting role, and emotion regulation abilities may interact with testosterone levels to affect parents’ child abuse risk.…”