(PS8-A14) Parental Psychopathology as Predictors of Positive Parenting

Positive parenting is a set of caregiving behaviors characterized by unconditionally and consistently providing for the needs of the child; giving praise or positive attention; and teaching or leading through communication and modeling (Seay et al., 2014). A key component in interventions for youth behavioral problems, positive parenting also promotes mental wellbeing and protects against the development of psychopathology (Boeldt et al., 2012; Kaminski et al., 2008; Tabak & Zawadzka, 2017). Theoretical models and meta-analyses implicate parental emotion and emotion regulation as important predictors of parenting behaviors and youth social-emotional development (e.g., Gottman et al., 1996; Morris et al., 2017; Zimmer-Gembeck et al., 2022). However, less work has examined how parents’ emotional symptoms may contribute to their use of positive parenting strategies. The current study aims address this question.

A community sample of caregivers (N = 576; 55% female; M_age = 37.9, SD = 8.7) of youth ages 6-14 (53% male; M_age = 9.5, SD = 2.7) was recruited through MTurk, Prolific, and Qualtrics Panels. Caregivers completed self-report measures assessing their own anger (PROMIS-anger), irritability (BITe), anxiety and depression (DASS), and positive parenting (APQ). Analyses first examined descriptive statistics and zero-order correlations. Due to high collinearity (r > .8) between irritability and anger, we combined these two scales (standardized, then averaged) to form an anger/irritability variable. Next, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine parent anger/irritability, anxiety, and depression as predictors of engagement in positive parenting, controlling for parent and child age and gender.

At the zero-order level, positive parenting was associated with parent depression (r = -.13, p < .01) and anxiety (r = -.16, p < .001) but not anger/irritability (r = -.05, p > .10). In the multiple regression model, higher levels of parental anxiety predicted lower levels of positive parenting (b = -.21, p < .01). Also, higher levels of anger/irritability were linked to higher levels of positive parenting (b = .18, p < .02), but this result may not be meaningful given that there was no significant association at the zero-order level. Similarly, parent depression did not emerge as a significant predictor of positive parenting, p > .2. The overall regression model was significant (F(7, 568) = 5.91, p < .001), accounting for about 7% of the variance in positive parenting (R² = .07.)

Lower parental anxiety consistently predicted higher levels of positive parenting behaviors among caregivers of 6- to 14-year-olds in this community sample. Results underscore the importance of considering parents’ emotional difficulties in relation to adaptive parenting behaviors, which may have important implications for assessment, prevention, and intervention. Future work should investigate these effects in clinically referred families, as well as possible mechanistic contributions to these processes, including neuroticism, negative affectivity, or worry rumination.