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Parental predictors of children's executive functioning from ages 6 to 10

Marte Halse1, Silje Steinsbekk1, Åsa Hammar2

  • 1NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|March 1, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Parental education and harsh parenting significantly impact children's executive functioning (EF) development. Interventions should focus on reducing harsh parenting to improve EF outcomes in children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Parental factors, including socio-economic status, mental health, and parenting styles, are hypothesized to influence children's executive functioning (EF).
  • Previous research suggests a link between parental characteristics and the development of EF, but the relative importance and mediating roles of these factors require further investigation.
  • Understanding these influences is crucial for developing effective interventions to support cognitive development in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relative importance of parental socio-economic status, mental health, and parenting practices as predictors of executive functioning (EF) development in children.
  • To examine the extent to which parental influence on EF development is attributable to time-invariant factors, such as genetics.
  • To determine the differential impact of positive versus negative parenting on the developmental trajectory of children's EF.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a large community sample of 1,070 Norwegian children assessed biennially for executive functioning (EF) from ages 6 to 10.
  • Measured EF using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF).
  • Assessed parenting via observer ratings of parent-child interactions and parental mental health using validated questionnaires (Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Hopkins Symptom Checklist).

Main Results:

  • Higher parental education was associated with superior EF development, even after accounting for time-invariant confounders.
  • Harsh parenting predicted poorer EF development.
  • Parenting practices did not mediate the relationship between parental education and EF development.

Conclusions:

  • Parental education and parenting behaviors are significant, distinct predictors of children's executive functioning (EF) development.
  • Harsh parenting emerges as a key target for interventions aimed at enhancing children's EF.
  • These findings underscore the importance of addressing parenting practices in strategies to foster cognitive development.

Keywords:
BRIEFSESeducationexecutive functionsoccupationparental mental healthparentingself-regulation

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