Aggressive parenting: social, medical and legal aspects

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To examine the impacts of aggressive parenting on physical, mental and emotional development; outcomes for society; possible ways of prevention of children' rights or health violation and responsibility of parents to optimize well-being of children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: The analysis of scientific data has been conducted on the basis of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases in order to collect the existed results of researches about social and medical aspects of impact of aggressive parenting. The formal-legal method was used to interpret the provisions of legislation regarding the protection of personal non-property rights and responsibilities of parents and children.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Aggressive parenting affects children of all ages and is associated with chronic stress and long-term negative impacts on physical development, cognitive and behavioral dysfunction, socioemotional difficulties, social and psychological dysfunction in adulthood. Aggressive parenting triggers a child' aggressive behavior which is considered as a predictor of adult's criminality. From a legal standpoint, aggressive parenting is a form of violation of the responsibility of parents to educate a child, which is an element of family legal relations regulated by the norms of the family law institution known as ≪Personal non-property rights and responsibilities of parents and children". The definition of aggressive parenting has been defined with its legal features and characteristics. Effective prevention methods should be directed to predict possible further parental violence, intervention programs to reduce outcomes of aggressive parenting and to improve the ways of responsibility in procedural and material aspects of law.

Mother phubbing and harsh mothering: Mothers' irritability and adolescents' gender as moderators

BACKGROUND

While extant evidence supports the link between mother phubbing (Mphubbing) and harsh mothering, the current understanding of factors that may affect this relationship is limited.

METHODS

Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relation between Mphubbing and harsh mothering, as well as to explore whether mothers' irritability and adolescents' gender would moderate this relationship. The participants included 482 middle school students (51.7 % girls) and their mothers from China.

RESULTS

The results revealed a significant positive association between Mphubbing as reported by adolescents and their perception of harsh mothering. However, the predictive power of Mphubbing for harsh mothering varied based on mothers' irritability and adolescents' gender. Specifically, the association between Mphubbing and harsh mothering was perceived more strongly in girls than in boys, but this gender difference was only observed among adolescents whose mothers rated themselves as high in irritability.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study offers a preliminary understanding of the association between Mphubbing and harsh mothering through mothers' irritability and adolescents' gender as moderators, which has certain theoretical and practical implications for comprehending harsh mothering in the digital age.

Introduction to Special Issue “Parenting in the 21st Century”

The nature of parenting and parent–child relationships is often dramatically affected by the historical period in which one raises children [...]

Mindful Parenting Intervention MinUTo App for Parents of Preschool Children: Study Protocol of a Randomised Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Mindful parenting and the use of technology for parenting intervention have expanded separately from one another with promising results, but their relationship is underexplored. The current study protocol proposes a new universal intervention via app, MINd Us TOghether (MinUTo), based on mindful parenting for parents of typically developing children of 4-5 years of age.

METHODS

The effect of the intervention is evaluated using a randomised controlled trial. Around 2000 parents are enrolled and randomised to the intervention and control groups. Data are collected in three different waves from parents at baseline and endline; APP usage data allow for the analysis of intervention adherence. The MinUTo app proposes contents and activities for five dimensions of mindful parenting. Each dimension is presented within a two-week distance, explaining its importance, providing information, and offering activities for parents and children.

EXPECTED RESULTS

We hypothesise a positive effect of the intervention on primary outcomes (mindful parenting, parenting stress, parent behaviours and parental time investment), increasing parents' skills and promoting a positive parent-child relationship. We also test possible effects on secondary outcomes (parenting attitudes and beliefs) at an explorative level.

CONCLUSIONS

The study will add new considerations about the psychological and economic impact of technologies in implementing parenting interventions in non-clinical populations.

Parental Digital Mediation According to the Age of Minors: From Restraint and Control to Active Mediation

Research shows that parental mediation is essential for the introduction of minors into the digital environment and their development therein as well as to reduce their exposure to online risks. The present study examines parental strategies depending on whether minors are (dis)connected to the Internet and whether they differ according to their age. The motivations for minors to connect are also examined in relation to the frequency to which they connect to the Internet (activities related to school or learning, interacting with friends, and being entertained). The sample consists of 776 Spanish families with minors aged 5–17. Results show that parental mediation depends on the age of the minor, parental mediation strategies are more restrictive when minors are younger, and as their age increases strategies become more dialogue and collaboration oriented. In adolescence, parents mainly control internet purchases, yet they become more flexible with minors’ presence on social networks. The conclusions reveal that parental mediation is in the process of evolving from a restrictive approach to one that is more empathetic. The change in mediation is due to a greater awareness of the relevance of proper use of the Internet for the well-being of their children.