A Study of Factors That Contribute to Warm Versus Harsh Parenting by Mothers and Fathers of Chilean Adolescents

Background

The influence of different parenting practices on adolescents' behavioral outcomes has been widely researched. Warm parenting, characterized by verbal approval, showing tenderness, and expressing support, has been shown to buffer against behavioral problems while harsh parenting, characterized by disapproval, inconsistent behavior and negative emotions, is associated with increased behavioral difficulties. Unfortunately, the majority of research focuses on maternal parenting largely neglecting the role of fathers and those factors related to paternal parenting practices. We examined the influence of family involvement, parental control and parental monitoring on warm and harsh parenting practices among both mothers and fathers of adolescents in Santiago, Chile.

Methods

Data are from a NIDA-funded study conducted in Chile with 769 12-17 year olds who completed a 2-hr interviewer-administered questionnaire with comprehensive questions on demographics, health, mental health and family characteristics. Two separate 17-item scales assessing relationship with mother and father were factor-analyzed to yield two subscales for warm (9 items; α=0.91, mother; α=0.90, father) and harsh (8 items; α=0.79, mother; α=0.80, father) parenting. Family involvement (M=18.8, SD=4.2; 5 items; α=0.72), parental control (M=29.8, SD=6.2; 8 items; α=0.70) and parental monitoring (M=27.8, SD=5.2; 10 items; α=0.68) were the main predictor variables. Age, sex, and SES were demographic controls. Youth behavioral problems were assessed using the YSR; aggressive behavior (α =0.81), rule breaking behavior (α =0.70), somatic complaints (α =0.66), withdrawn/depressed (α =0.67), and anxious/depressed (α =0.74).

Results

Multivariate analyses indicated that family involvement (β=2.56, p<.001; β=2.59, p<.001) and parental monitoring (β=1.52, p<.001; β=1.84, p<.001) were positively associated with adolescents having a warmer relationship with both mothers and fathers respectively. Parental control was associated with less maternal and paternal warmth in the bivariate analyses, but these relationships became nonsignificant once demographic controls were included, mainly as a result of age.

With respect to harsh parenting, bivariate analyses indicated an inverse association with family involvement (β=-.92, p<.001; β=-.49, p<.001) and parental monitoring (β=-.56, p<.001; β=-.47, p<.001) among both mothers and fathers, respectively. However, adding adolescent behavioral problems to the model reduced the coefficients for both family involvement (β=-.56, p<.001) and parenting monitoring (β=-.09, p<.001) among mothers and led the coefficients to be insignificant among fathers.

Conclusions

In this international study, we find that family involvement and parental monitoring are associated with warmer parenting practices among mothers and fathers whereas a lack of family involvement and lower parental monitoring are related to harsher parenting practices among mothers. Further exploration of the intersection between adolescent behavioral problems and father's harsh parenting is needed. Lack of association between parental control and either warm or harsh parenting may be explained by findings indicating that, as they grow older, adolescents are more likely to view parenting practices as less warm and more harsh, perhaps reflecting an increasing need for autonomy. These findings suggest that when parents create a family environment in which members are invested in and accountable to each other, parents are more likely to be warm and caring towards their children and less likely to engage in insensitive discipline and harsher behaviors.