Annotation: The 'effects' of parenting reconsidered: findings, challenges, and applications

Questions remain concerning the 'effects' of parenting on behavioural/emotional problems in children. This annotation discusses recent findings concerning the parenting 'effects' literature and identifies areas in need of further research.

The review begins by examining theories and definitions of parenting, and then considers research findings on the predictors of parent-child relationships and their effects on behavioural/emotional adjustment in children. Evidence for causal processes are then examined in light of findings emphasizing the need to consider the impact of larger systems on child's well-being, bi-directional processes in parent-child interactions, and alternative hypotheses suggested by behavioural genetics.

Different kinds of evidence suggest strong links between parent-child relationship quality and children's well-being, but difficulties remain for drawing causal connections. The need for greater integration among research traditions and the need for theory development are highlighted. In addition, although a substantial and robust research base exists on parent-child relationships, the applicability of these findings to clinical settings is uncertain.

Substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the nature of parent-child relationships and their developmental effects, but a number of basic conceptual and methodological and clinical questions continue to need rigorous study.