How Do Mothers Help Their Children Sleep at Night? Night‐waking Strategy Use Among Mothers of Preschool‐aged Children

Night‐waking is common among preschool‐aged children. Little is known about night‐time parenting among parents of preschool‐aged children. To explore night‐waking strategy use in a community sample, 203 mothers (M age = 32 years, SD = 5.1; children's M age = 3.4 years, SD = 1.0) completed the Night‐waking Strategy Scale (NSS) and measures of general parenting, agreement with night‐waking strategies, and children's sleep. Children were grouped by age (2‐, 3‐, and 4‐to‐5‐year‐olds). Mothers endorsed using routines most frequently, followed by active comforting and rewards; limit‐setting and punishment were used less often. NSS punishment and routines were significantly associated with parenting (e.g. laxness was correlated with NSS routines, rs = ?.35 to .47, p < .001). Night‐waking strategy use was correlated with agreement with those strategies (e.g. active comforting was correlated with agreement with active comforting rs = .35 to .52, p < .001). Active comforting was correlated with the frequency of children's night‐waking for 2‐ and 3‐year‐olds (rs = .35 and .38, respectively, p < .01). Mothers of preschool‐aged children in the community engage in a range of parenting strategies to manage children's night‐waking. These strategies are largely consistent with general parenting and agreement with night‐waking strategy use. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

儿童2岁活跃性、自我控制与5年后学校适应——父母养育方式的调节作用

通过5年的追踪,考察儿童早期气质特征对后期社会适应的影响。选取200名2岁儿童,采用实验室观察法评价其气质上的活跃性和自我控制;在其7岁时追踪到125名儿童,请父母报告养育方式、班主任老师评价其社会能力和学业表现。结果表明：（1）儿童2岁时的活跃性对5年后学校适应的预测总体是消极的,并且受父母养育方式调节;父母的高限制和低压制能够抵消活跃性对学习问题和任务定向的消极影响;（2）儿童2岁时的自我控制对于5年后的所有积极学校适应指标（学业成绩、低学习问题、果敢社交、挫折耐受、任务定向）有直接预测作用。这一结果揭示了气质上的活跃性与自我控制在儿童发展过程中的不同作用,父母应根据孩子的气质特点实行差别化教育。     

儿童早期情绪性对学步期父母养育方式的影响

运用追踪设计和分层回归分析, 探究了281名儿童6个月和14个月时的受限后沮丧、恐惧和微笑大笑如何影响24个月时父母养育方式, 以及这种影响是否随儿童年龄增长而变化。研究结果显示:(1)6个月时, 仅受限后沮丧能正向预测24个月时母亲严厉的养育方式, 14个月时受限后沮丧仍能正向预测母亲的严厉, 恐惧也能正向预测母亲的保护担忧, 而微笑大笑能正向预测母亲的接受, 负向预测母亲的严厉和保护担忧;(2)6个月时, 儿童的受限后沮丧能正向预测24个月时父亲的严厉和保护担忧, 14个月儿童的受限后沮丧仍能正向预测24个月时父亲的严厉。     

国内父母教养方式与儿童发展研究

近年来,我国心理与教育研究者探讨了父母教养方式对儿童的认知、社会性情感及各种人格品质的发展的作用以及影响父母教养方式的因素,为儿童教育提供理论支持,并获得了中国文化背景下与西方不同的父母教养方式对儿童发展的特点。     

直升机教养的内涵、影响和后效

直升机教养是父母对始成年期青少年普遍采用的一种教养方式,它是指父母给孩子过度的支持,较多地控制其行为,并不能给予孩子适合其年龄的自主权的教养方式。本文从直升机教养的概念辨析、影响因素和作用后效方面进行了系统梳理和整合分析,未来研究需要扩展研究对象和内容、精细探讨直升机教养的作用机制、重视我国始成年人的直升机教养,深入考察直升机教养与健康成长的因果关系。     

Relationships between parenting practices and perceptions of child behaviour among Korean immigrant mothers and fathers

This study examined parenting styles and culturally‐specific parenting practices of Korean immigrant mothers (N = 128) and fathers (N = 79) of children (ages 6–10) in New Zealand and the parenting predictors of child behaviour. Participants completed questionnaires on parenting styles and practices, and parental perceptions of child behaviour. Both parents indicated a high degree of devotion (Mo jeong) and involvement in care and education of their child with fathers were more likely than mothers to utilise shaming/love withdrawal and modesty encouragement. Results of regression analyses showed that there were some differences between mothers and fathers in the parenting predictors of child internalising and externalising behaviour problems and prosocial behaviour. Across the whole sample, there were contrasting relationships for authoritative parenting styles, devoted/involved parenting and modesty encouragement/shaming/non‐reasoning parenting practices with child behaviour problems. Results indicated a blend of Western and Korean parenting practices were being utilised after settling in New Zealand.     

Individual and social correlates of aggressive behavior in Lebanese undergraduates: The role of trait emotional intelligence

This study investigates the relationship between Aggressive Behavior and individual factors, namely trait Emotional Intelligence, personality dimensions, emotion regulation and self-worth, as well as social factors, namely accepting/rejecting parenting styles and exposure to violence. The sample consisted of 252 university students in Lebanon (154 females), from 16 to 30 years old. Results from hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for age and gender and in the presence of social and individual predictors) showed that the Self-control and Emotionality factors of trait Emotional Intelligence were significant negative predictors of Aggressive Behavior while controlling for age and gender and in the presence of social and individual predictors). Exposure to violence and openness to experience also predicted Aggressive Behavior. Implications for future research and limitations of the present study are discussed.     

Effects of harsh parenting and positive parenting practices on youth aggressive behavior: The moderating role of early pubertal timing

Prior research indicates that early pubertal timing is associated with aggressive behavior, particularly in the context of adversity as postulated in the contextual amplification hypothesis. However, few studies have examined harsh parenting as the context for the effect of early pubertal timing. Even fewer studies have tested the interactive effect of early pubertal timing and positive parenting on aggressive behavior. In this study, we tested the proposition that early pubertal timing, contrary to the general conception of it as a vulnerability, indexed susceptibility, and thus early maturing individuals were affected more by their environment in a “for better and for worse” manner. The sample consisted of 411 community‐recruited youth aged 11–12 years (51% boys, 80% African Americans). Participants reported Tanner Stages of pubertal development, aggressive behavior and harsh parenting practice of their parents. Puberty scores were standardized with groups of the same age, sex, and ethnicity, and those that scored the top one‐third were defined as early maturing individuals. Parents reported youth's aggressive behavior and their parenting practices towards the youth, including harsh parenting and positive parenting. Early pubertal timing significantly moderated the relationship between harsh/positive parenting and aggressive behavior. Specifically, harsh parenting was positively associated with aggressive behavior to a larger degree among early maturing individuals than among on‐time/late‐maturing individuals. Positive parenting was inversely associated with aggressive behavior but only among early maturing individuals. This study is the first to document support for early pubertal timing as susceptibility to the environmental influences in relation to aggressive behavior. Theoretical and intervention implications are discussed.

     

Parenting programs during adolescence: Outcomes from universal and targeted interventions offered in real‐world settings

The aim of this naturalistic study was to explore short and long‐term outcomes of five different group‐based parenting programs offered to parents of 10 to 17‐year‐olds. Three hundred and fifteen parents (277 mothers and 38 fathers) who had enrolled in a parenting program (universal: Active Parenting, COPE ; Connect; targeted: COMET ; Leadership training for parents of teenagers [LFT ]) answered questionnaires at three measurement waves (baseline, post‐measurement, and one‐year follow‐up). The questions concerned parenting style, parental mental health, family climate and adolescent mental health. Results revealed small to moderate changes in almost all outcome variables and in all parenting programs. Overall, parents in COMET reported the largest short and long‐term changes. No substantial differences in change were seen between the other programs. The results support the general effectiveness of parenting programs for parents of adolescents.     

Prospective association of parental and child internalizing symptoms: Mediation of parenting practices and irritability

Maternal internalizing symptoms have been linked with child internalizing symptoms, but paternal internalizing difficulties have received little attention. Our aims were to prospectively analyse the simultaneous effect of maternal and paternal internalizing symptoms on child internalizing difficulties, examining gender differences, and to verify the mediating effect of parenting practices and child irritability. The sample included 470 families assessed at child ages 3, 6, 8, and 11. Multi-group structural equation modelling was performed with Mplus8.2. Complete equivalence was found between boys and girls for all paths. Maternal internalizing symptoms at age 3 had an indirect effect on child internalizing symptoms at age 11, via irritability at age 8. Paternal internalizing symptoms at age 3 were not associated with any of the variables under study. Maternal internalizing symptoms and child irritability are targets for intervention in order to prevent child internalizing difficulties.