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Child-rearing difficulties reported by parents of infants and toddlers
1Department of Human Development and Family Life, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045, USA.
Insights
Raising young children is challenging for parents, even those with high education and income. Common difficulties involve typical toddler behaviors like whining and noncompliance, especially for parents with multiple children or toddlers over two years old.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Parenting Studies
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Parenting young children presents unique challenges.
- Even parents with high socioeconomic status report difficulties.
- Understanding parental stress is crucial for child well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate child-rearing difficulties in parents of infants and toddlers.
- To identify common child behavior problems causing parental stress.
- To explore parental needs for support.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 413 nonclinical parents of infants and toddlers.
- Assessed child-rearing challenges, behavior problems, and support needs.
- Data collected from parents with high educational and income levels.
Main Results:
- Raising young children was reported as difficult by most parents.
- Common concerns included typical toddler behaviors (whining, noncompliance).
- Higher difficulties reported by parents with multiple children and toddlers over age two.
Conclusions:
- Child-rearing difficulties are prevalent across diverse parental demographics.
- Developmentally typical behaviors can be significant sources of parental stress.
- Targeted support may be beneficial for parents of multiple young children.
Abstract:
Surveyed a nonclinical sample of 413 parents of infants and toddlers about child-rearing difficulties, child behavior problems, and their own needs for support. Despite their high educational and income level, the parents surveyed reported raising young children to be a difficult task. Most concerns centered on children's irritating but developmentally typical behavior such as whining, noncompliance with adult requests, and interruption of adult activities. Parental reports of difficulties were highest for parents with more than one child and when children were past their second birthday.