Proximal and distal correlates of adolescent mothers' parenting attitudes

Predictors of parenting attitudes in an at-risk sample: Results from the LONGSCAN study

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.

Successful aging and subjective well-being among oldest-old adults

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

This research integrates successful aging and developmental adaptation models to empirically define the direct and indirect effects of 2 distal (i.e., education and past life experiences) and 5 proximal influences (i.e., physical functioning, cognitive functioning, physical health impairment, social resources, and perceived economic status) on subjective well-being. The proximal influences involved predictors outlined in most extant models of successful aging (e.g., Rowe & Kahn, 1998 [Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1998). Successful aging. New York: Pantheon Books.]). Our model extends such models by including distal impact as well as interactions between distal and proximal impacts.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Data were obtained from 234 centenarians and 72 octogenarians in the Georgia Centenarian Study. Structural equation modeling was conducted with Mplus 6.1.

RESULTS

Results showed significant direct effects of physical health impairment and social resources on positive aspects of subjective well-being among oldest-old adults. We also found significant indirect effects of cognitive functioning and education on positive affect among oldest-old adults. Social resources mediated the relationship between cognitive functioning and positive affect; and cognitive functioning and social resources mediated the relationship between education and positive affect. In addition, physical health impairment mediated the relationship between cognitive functioning and positive affect; and cognitive functioning and physical health impairment mediated the relationship between education and positive affect.

IMPLICATIONS

Integrating 2 different models (i.e., successful aging and developmental adaptation) provided a comprehensive view of adaptation from a developmental perspective.

Linking mother and youth parenting attitudes: indirect effects via maltreatment, parent involvement, and youth functioning

Evidence suggests that parenting attitudes are transmitted within families. However, limited research has examined this prospectively. The current prospective study examined direct effects of early maternal attitudes toward parenting (as measured at child age 4 by the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory [AAPI]) on later youth parenting attitudes (as measured by the AAPI at youth age 18). Indirect effects via child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional maltreatment), parent involvement, and youth functioning (internalizing and externalizing problems) were also assessed. Analyses were conducted on data from 412 families enrolled in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). There were significant direct effects for three of the four classes of mother parenting attitudes (appropriate developmental expectations of children, empathy toward children, and appropriate family roles) on youth attitudes but not for rejection of punishment. In addition, the following indirect effects were obtained: Mother expectations influenced youth expectations via neglect; mother empathy influenced youth empathy via both parental involvement and youth externalizing problems; and mother rejection of punishment influenced youth rejection of punishment via youth internalizing problems. None of the child or family process variables, however, affected the link between mother and youth attitudes about roles.

Age Group Differences in Positive and Negative Affect among Oldest-Old Adults: Findings from the Georgia Centenarian Study

Objectives.

The developmental adaptation model (Martin & Martin, 2002) provides insights into how current experiences and resources (proximal variables) and past experiences (distal variables) are correlated with outcomes (e.g., well-being) in later life. Applying this model, the current study examined proximal and distal variables associated with positive and negative affect in oldest-old adults, investigating age differences.

Methods.

Data from 306 octogenarians and centenarians who participated in Phase III of the Georgia Centenarian Study were used. Proximal variables included physical functioning, cognitive functioning, self-rated health, number of chronic conditions, social resources, and perceived economic status; distal variables included education, social productive activities, management of personal assets, and other learning experiences. Analysis of variance and block-wise regression analyses were conducted.

Results.

Octogenarians showed significantly higher levels of positive emotion than centenarians. Cognitive functioning was significantly associated with positive affect, and number of health problems was significantly associated with negative affect after controlling for gender, ethnicity, residence, and marital status. Furthermore, four significant interaction effects suggested that positive affect significantly depended on the levels of cognitive and physical functioning among centenarians, whereas positive affect was dependent on the levels of physical health problems and learning experiences among octogenarians.

Conclusion.

Findings of this study addressed the importance of current and past experiences and resources in subjective well-being among oldest-old adults as a life-long process. Mechanisms connecting aging processes at the end of a long life to subjective well-being should be explored in future studies.

Childhood experiences of sexual abuse and later parenting practices among non-offending mothers of sexually abused and comparison girls

OBJECTIVE

The primary goal of this study was to explore the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and parenting practices among non-offending mothers of sexually abused girls. Guided by a developmental-ecological perspective of parenting, several models with different potential pathways starting from the mothers' childhood experiences of sexual abuse and culminating in their parenting practices (e.g., direct, spurious, indirect effect) were hypothesized and explored in the context of the mothers' past and current psychosocial risks and resources. Two dimensions of parenting were considered: providing positive structure (i.e., ratings of how consistent, fair, easygoing), and using punitive discipline.

METHODS

This study utilized a sample from a longitudinal, multigenerational study in which sexually abused girls, demographically similar comparison girls, and the mothers of both groups of girls participated. For the current study, the data regarding the mothers of the two groups of girls was of primary importance.

RESULTS

The results from a series of model comparison tests supported the spurious effect of mothers' childhood sexual abuse on the positive structure dimension. A direct, inverse relationship was found as the most accurate model with the punitive discipline dimension. Overall, childhood experience of punitive discipline, current dissociative symptoms, and satisfaction with social support were indicated as possible correlates of parenting practices among the mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

The significance of these findings is discussed in the context of theories concerning childhood trauma and parenting, as well as the intergenerational process of child maltreatment. Practice implications of the findings are also presented and discussed in terms of intervention programs for families where intrafamilial child sexual abuse occurs.

Approaching the adolescent-headed family: a review of teen parenting

In the USA, as many as 1 in 6 women nationwide become adolescent mothers, making adolescent pregnancy and childbearing issues a frequently encountered occurrence by pediatricians and adolescent medicine health care providers. Both social and medical programs focus on prevention and management of adolescent pregnancies; however, caring for the adolescent-headed family is less well understood. For many teen parents, various environmental and behavioral risks contributed to early childbearing and parenting. Following delivery of the infant, many of these same psycho-social, environmental, and educational factors continue to play a role in the teen's ability to parent effectively. This review explores these factors in relation to teen parenting as well as describes the limited data available on outcomes of adolescent mothers and their infants. Despite negative social stereotypes regarding adolescent fathers, research suggesting that most fathers desire involvement with their infants and the impact of and factors influencing father involvement is explored. Understanding the dynamics of the coparenting relationship, an expanding field of study, will aid practitioners in strengthening and supporting teen parenting by both mothers and fathers. As most teen parents continue to reside with their families, teen parenting has an important impact on the multi-generational family structure. These relationships can serve both to support and at times to hinder the adolescent parents' development as an individual and as a parent. Successful interventions and programs to support the adolescent-headed family take on various forms but are usually comprehensive and multidisciplinary and consider the developmental status of both the parent and the child. To best care for adolescent-headed families, pediatricians and adolescent medicine providers should understand the psychosocial, developmental, educational, and relationship issues that influence adolescent parenting.

Change in Atypical Maternal Behavior Predicts Change in Attachment Disorganization From 12 to 24 Months in a High-Risk Sample

This longitudinal study examined links between disorganization and atypical maternal behavior at 12 and 24 months in 71 adolescent mother-child dyads. Organized attachment and maternal not disrupted behavior were more stable than disorganization and disrupted behavior, respectively. At both ages, disorganization and maternal disrupted behavior were significantly correlated. Change in atypical maternal behavior predicted change in disorganization across time. The results provide substantial support for extant theories linking anomalous maternal behavior to the development of disorganized attachment. The Interesting-but-Scary paradigm, introduced in this study, promises to be a useful tool for assessing attachment and maternal behavior in toddlerhood.