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Relative and absolute stability in perceived parenting behaviour: a longitudinal study with children and adolescents
M A Carrasco1, M A Rodríguez, M V Del Barrio
1Dpto. Personalidad Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos, Facultad de Psicología, UNED, Ciudad Universitaria, C/Juan del Rosal, 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain. macarrasco@psi.uned.es
Psychological Reports
|April 30, 2011
Summary
Parental behaviors show moderate consistency over time, with decreases in strict control and hostility as children age. Stability patterns were similar between mothers and fathers, though influenced by child
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Parenting styles significantly impact child development.
- Understanding the stability of parental behaviors is crucial for developmental trajectories.
- Longitudinal studies are essential to track changes in parenting over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relative and absolute stability of parental behaviors in relation to children and adolescents.
- To investigate how parental behaviors change or remain consistent during early adolescence.
- To compare stability patterns between mothers and fathers.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design with data collected at three time points over three years.
- Sample included 523 adolescents (58.7% girls) with mean ages at T1, T2, and T3 of 11.1, 12.2, and 13.2 years, respectively.
- Parental behaviors were assessed through children's reports, focusing on communication, strict control, and hostility.
Main Results:
- Moderate relative stability was observed in maternal and paternal behaviors, especially communication and strict control.
- Parental strict control and hostility significantly decreased as children transitioned through adolescence.
- Absolute stability patterns revealed no sex differences, while relative stability was influenced by child's sex, parenting variable, and time period.
Conclusions:
- Parental behaviors exhibit moderate consistency but also show developmental changes during adolescence.
- Mothers and fathers displayed similar stability patterns in their parenting practices.
- Findings highlight the dynamic nature of parenting and its differential stability based on specific behaviors and child characteristics.
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