Relationship between parental psychopathology, parenting strategies and child mental health--findings from the GB national study.
BACKGROUND
Parental and child psychiatric disorders have been found to be associated, and this association can be mediated by other psychosocial variables, including parenting attitudes and strategies. As most previous studies included clinical samples, the purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between parental psychopathology and parenting strategies with child psychiatric disorders in a national survey population.


METHODS
The sample included 10,438 children of 5-15 years and their parents, from representative UK households. Families were assessed on child psychiatric diagnosis, parental psychopathology, family functioning, and socioeconomic status. Parenting strategies included using rewards, physical and non-physical punishments towards their child.


RESULTS
Parental psychopathology scores (OR 3.99, 95% CI 3.13-5.09) and non-physical punishment (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.27-1.76) were associated with child psychiatric disorders. This association was particularly prominent among children with conduct disorders: parental psychopathology scores (OR 3.13, 95% CI 2.28-4.30) and non-physical punishment (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.55-3.97). Absence of child psychopathology was associated with a combination of rewarding and non-punitive parenting strategies.


CONCLUSIONS
Although parents in the general population may be using less physical strategies than in the past, non-physical punishment is strongly related to mental health problems in children. Enhancement of positive parenting through universal and targeted interventions is an important preventive strategy.
Vostanis
Panos
P
University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. pv11@le.ac.uk
Graves
Alexandra
A
Meltzer
Howard
H
Goodman
Robert
R
Jenkins
Rachel
R
Brugha
Traolach
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology; D012201:Reward; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D006113:United Kingdom