title: Parenting Practices and Child Misbehavior: A Mixed Method Study of Italian Mothers and Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study uses a mixed qualitative and quantitative method to examine three main research questions: What are the practices that mothers report they use when trying to correct their children's misbehaviors? Are there common patterns of these practices? Are the patterns that emerge related to children's well-being?
  
  
  METHODS
  Italian mother-child dyads (N=103) participated in the study (when children were 8 years of age). At Time 1 (T1), mothers answered open-ended questions about discipline; in addition, measures of maternal physical discipline and rejection and child aggression were assessed in mothers and children at T1, one year later (T2), and two years later (T3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mothers' answers to open-ended questions about what they would do in three disciplinary situations were classified in six categories: physical or psychological punishment, control, mix of force and reasoning, reasoning, listening, and permissiveness. Cluster analysis yielded 3 clusters: Group 1, Induction (predominant use of reasoning and listening; 74%); Group 2, Punishment (punitive practices and no reasoning; 16%); Group 3, Mixed practices (combination of reasoning and punishment, as well as high control and no listening; 10%). Multiple-group latent growth curves of maternal physical discipline, maternal rejection, and child aggression were implemented to evaluate possible differences in the developmental trends from T1 to T3, as a function of cluster.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Qualitative data deepen understanding of parenting because they shed light on what parents think about themselves; their self-descriptions, in turn, help to identify ways of parenting that may have long-lasting consequences for children's adjustment.
authors.affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Silvia
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bombi
authors.affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Norcia
authors.affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Giunta
authors.affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pastorelli
authors.affiliation: Duke University.
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lansford