Resilient parenting of children at developmental risk across middle childhood.
This paper focuses on factors that might influence positive parenting during middle childhood when a parent faces formidable challenges defined herein as "resilient parenting." Data were obtained from 162 families at child age 5 and 8 years. Using an adapted ABCX model, we examined three risk domains (child developmental delay, child ADHD/ODD diagnosis, and low family income) and three protective factors (mother's education, health, and optimism). The outcome of interest was positive parenting as coded from mother-child interactions. We hypothesized that each of the risk factors would predict poorer parenting and that higher levels of each protective factor would buffer the risk-parenting relationship. Positive parenting scores decreased across levels of increasing risk. Maternal optimism appeared to be a protective factor for resilient parenting concurrently at age 5 and predictively to age 8, as well as a predictor of positive change in parenting from age 5 to age 8, above and beyond level of risk. Maternal education and health were not significantly protective for positive parenting. Limitations, future directions, and implications for intervention are discussed.
University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: ruthellingsen@ucla.edu.
Ruth
R
Ellingsen
University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1257D Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: baker@psych.ucla.edu.
Bruce L
BL
Baker
University of California, Riverside, Graduate School of Education, Sproul Hall, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Electronic address: jan.blacher@ucr.edu.
Jan
J
Blacher
Arizona State University, Department of Psychology, 950 South McAllister, PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. Electronic address: keith.crnic@asu.edu.
Keith
K
Crnic
D000328:Adult; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D065840:Protective Factors; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors
Developmental delay; Optimism; Parenting; Resilience