Marital adjustment, child-rearing disagreements, and overreactive parenting: predicting child behavior problems.
Using structural equation modeling, the authors evaluated the hypothesis that the relation between marital adjustment and children's behavior problems is mediated by child-rearing disagreements, whose effects are mediated by parents' overreactive discipline. In a community sample, fully or partially mediated models of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems of 3- to 7-year-old boys (N = 99) and girls (N = 104) were supported for mothers and fathers in 7 of 8 cases. Child-rearing disagreements always mediated the relation of marital adjustment and child behavior problems, and overreactive discipline was a final mediator in 3 cases. More variance was accounted for in mothers' than fathers' ratings. For mothers' ratings, the most variance was accounted for in boys' externalizing and girls' internalizing behavior problems.
O'Leary
Susan G
SG
Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA. susan.oleary@sunysb.edu
Vidair
Hilary B
HB
D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008960:Models, Psychological; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors