Prof. Greg Francis 7/31/081ParentingIIE 366: DevelopmentalPsychologyGreg FrancisLecture 33Chapter 14: Family RelationshipsModule 14.4 Maltreatment: Parent-ChildRelationships Gone AwryChildren and Their Development, 4/e by Robert Kail14.4MaltreatmentConsequences ofMaltreatmentCauses ofMaltreatmentPreventingMaltreatment14.4 Consequences ofMaltreatment When children are abused, their social, emotional, and intellectualdevelopment is often affected Tend to have poor relationships with their peers Too aggressive Poor grades Behavior problems As adults, children who were abused are more prone to depression andanxiety, are more likely to think about or attempt suicide, and are morelikely be abusers themselves Everything about development is affected and these effects do notdisappear with time14.4 Causes of Maltreatment There is no distinctive personality that indicates anabusive parent Cultural and social factors: cultural attitudes, poverty,social isolation Physical punishment is prohibited in many countries» Often encouraged in the US» Countries that prohibit such activity have less child abuse Poorer parents are more likely to use physical punishment Socially isolated children are unable to get protection fromother adults14.4 Causes of Maltreatment Parental factors ineffective parenting skills: inconsistent discipline, unrealisticexpectations about what children can do, believe they arepowerless to control children (blame other issues rather thantheir parenting style) dysfunctional marriage may have been maltreated themselves Child factors very young: less able to regulate their behavior ill children: more stress, more expense, more unpleasantbehaviors Stepchildren:Prof. Greg Francis 7/31/08214.4 Preventing Maltreatment Change societal attitudes toward acceptablepunishment Eliminating poverty and other stressors Providing parents with better parenting and copingskills and social support Early childhood intervention programs may help byencouraging parental involvement and providingsupportParental Style: Cause orEffect?A. Research often shows that authoritativeparenting is associated with positive outcomes butthat authoritarian parenting is associated withnegative outcomes.B. Is parental style causing the outcome or doparents adopt a style based on children’sbehavior? Measure parental behavior early and see if itpredicts children’s behavior later. Ge & colleagues measured parental warmth &hostility by observing families in their homes(when children were in grades 7-9). Then measured children’s conduct problems (e.g.,drinking alcohol, stealing) and depressive symptoms(e.g., feeling worthless, anxious, hopeless) in grade 10. Compute correlation between variablesLongitudinal studyWhy Do Some Parents ParentCompetently? The answer depends on a number offactors. Three illustrative studies show the rangeof issues to be considered. Not exhaustive!Conger et al. study Measured four key variables: parental depression» About 5% of people are depressed at any given moment intime» Higher for adults than children» Higher for people under stress poor parenting (inconsistent discipline, use of harsh discipline) parental stress (significant change in income, serious medicalproblem) child’s behavior problems (doing poorly in school, poor peerrelations, conduct problems) Key question: How are these variables related to eachother?Prof. Greg Francis 7/31/083Results of Conger et al. studyOne can use a statistical approach to identify how the variablesrelate to each otherHigher parental stress is associated with greater depression, whichis associated with less effective parenting, which leads to lessdesirable outcomes for children.stressdepressionIneffectiveparentingBadoutcomesStudy by Wakschlag et al. (1996) Young mothers often depend on grandmothers to helpwith parenting Studied 96 multigenerational African-American families mothers, 3-year-olds, grandmothers or grandmother figures. Observed mother-grandmother and mother-childinteractions. Videotaped while doing problem-solving tasks Assessed quality of relationship by observing resolution ofconflictsWhat predicted competent,authoritative parenting? “Individuation” in the mother-grandmotherrelationship the mother’s ease with conflict in the relationship her ability to assert her separateness positively. Effects are strongest when grandmothers lived elsewhere (not in the home) were more educated were biological grandmothers (not aunts,great-grandmothers, etc.)MacPhee et al. study Studied 123 Hispanic-American and 244European-American low-income families thatincluded 2- to 5-year-old children. Measured child-rearing practices parents’ confidence in their own parenting characteristics of social networks including» % providing emotional support» parents’ satisfaction with that support.Correlations with Harsh Punishment-0.45-0.4-0.35-0.3-0.25-0.2-0.15-0.1-0.050% support sup satis self-confHis-AmerEuro-AmerWhat Leads to Competent Parenting?Summarizing 3 Studies Conger et al: when parents do not have tocope with major external stresses (e.g.,financial loss, illness) Wakschlag et al: when mothers were confidentin their mother-grandmother relationships MacPhee et al: when parents were confidentin their parenting skillsProf. Greg Francis 7/31/084What Leads to Poor Parenting? There are some particular patterns of behavior thatparents and children sometimes fall in to These can cause serious problems for a family Positive reinforcement trap Negative reinforcement trap Coercive process Tantrums PunishmentPositive reinforcement trap Parents often reinforce the very behaviors that they wantreduce A child in a store wants a toy. The mother does not wantto buy the toy, but the child begs and pleads and whines.The more tries to comfort and calm the child, but thechild continues to fuss. The mother finally gives in. The mother has just positively reinforced the begging,pleading, and whining of the child by» First giving attention and comfort» Second, giving a toy The child is more likely to beg, plead and whine in thefuturePositive reinforcement trap Lots of activities lead to a positive reinforcement trap Repeatedly responding to a child’s calls after her or shehas gone to bed. Comforting a child when she has a tantrum. Giving