Patterns of Parenting and their Associations with Bereaved Children's Maladaptive and Adaptive Functioning

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Parent-child relationships significantly impact children's mental health and adaptive outcomes after loss.
• Understanding parenting patterns is crucial for supporting bereaved children's well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct parenting patterns among caregivers of bereaved children.
• To examine the association between these parenting patterns and children's functioning, including mental health and resilience.

Main Methods:

• A latent profile analysis was used to identify parenting subgroups in a sample of 112 bereaved children (aged 8-17).
• Children's posttraumatic stress symptoms, psychosocial difficulties, posttraumatic growth, and resilience were assessed.

Main Results:

• Three parenting profiles emerged: Passive Parenting (42.86%), Negative Parenting (34.82%), and Positive Parenting (22.32%).
• Children in the Positive Parenting group reported fewer psychosocial difficulties and higher resilience compared to the other groups.
• No significant differences were found in posttraumatic stress symptoms or posttraumatic growth across parenting profiles.

Conclusions:

• Positive parenting, characterized by involvement, open communication, and positive reinforcement, is associated with better outcomes for bereaved children.
• Parenting patterns may not directly influence trauma-specific symptoms or growth following a death, suggesting other factors are at play.
• Interventions supporting positive parenting strategies could enhance resilience and reduce psychosocial difficulties in grieving children.