Isabelle Roskam

Relations between parenting and child behavior : exploring the child's personality and parental self-efficacy as third variables

The present study explores the bidirectional associations between parental behavior and child externalizing behavior in the context of two intervening variables: child’s personality as a moderator of the effect of parental behavior on later child behavior; and parental self-efficacy as a mediator of the effect of child behavior on later parental behavior. Data were collected twice within one year from a sample of 340 preschoolers and their parents. Using latent variable SEM, three models were computed separately for mother—child and father—child dyads. A bidirectional effect was verified for the mothers, but only a child effect was observed for the fathers. Expected mediation by self-efficacy was verified. Finally, a partial moderating role for child’s personality was demonstrated.

The development of children's inhibition: Does parenting matter?

Whereas a large body of research has investigated the maturation of inhibition in relation to the prefrontal cortex, far less research has been devoted to environmental factors that could contribute to inhibition improvement. The aim of the current study was to test whether and to what extent parenting matters for inhibition development from 2 to 8years of age. Data were collected from 421 families, with 348 mother-child dyads and 342 father-child dyads participating. Childrens inhibition capacities and parenting behaviors were assessed in a three-wave longitudinal data collection. The main analyses examined the impact of parenting on the development of childrens inhibition capacities. They were conducted using a multilevel modeling (MLM) framework. The results lead to the conclusion that both mothers and fathers contribute through their child-rearing behavior to their childrens executive functioning, even when controlling for age-related improvement (maturation) and important covariates such as gender, verbal IQ, and place of enrollment. More significant relations between childrens inhibition development and parenting were displayed for mothers than for fathers. More precisely, parenting behaviors that involve higher monitoring, lower discipline, inconsistency and negative controlling, and a positive parenting style are associated with good development of inhibition capacities in children.

The reciprocal relation between children's attachment representations and their cognitive ability

This study explores reciprocal relations between children’s attachment representations and their cognitive ability. Previous literature has mainly focused on the prediction of cognitive abilities from attachment, rarely on the reverse prediction. This was explored in the current research. Attachment representations were assessed with the Attachment Story Completion Task (Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, 1990); the IQ was measured with the WPPSI-III (Wechsler, 2004). Data were collected twice, at a two-year interval, from about 400 preschoolers. Reasoning IQ was found to influence the development of secure attachment representations, while attachment security and disorganization influenced later verbal IQ. The implications of the findings for both clinical and research purposes are discussed in the light of the interactions between cognitive abilities and attachment representations.

The Determinants of Parental Childrearing Behavior Trajectories: The Effects of Parental and Child Time-Varying and Time-Invariant Predictors.

“Why do parents parent the way they do?” remains an important question since it concerns both scientific issues, such as the stability or change of childrearing behavior, and clinical issues, such as the way to promote positive parenting in evidence-based programs. Using an accelerated design, the aim of this study was to examine several parental and child predictors of childrearing behavior trajectories among 373 mothers and 356 fathers of 2- to 9-year-old children. Hypotheses were drawn from Belsky (1984) and subsequent studies of the determinants of parenting. The parental and child predictors were assessed and analyzed as time-varying (parental self-efficacy beliefs and child externalizing behavior) or time-invariant (parental educational level and personality traits) predictors, according to their conceptual properties. The results show a linear decrease in both supportive and controlling childrearing behavior in mothers and an improvement in supportive but a decrease in controlling childrearing behavior in fathers over time. Moreover, the results support the idea that childrearing behavior is determined by multiple factors, in particular the parents’ self-efficacy beliefs and the child’s behavior. Finally, the results confirm the hypothesis of a greater influence of child predictors than of parental ones in the case of mothers, while the reverse hypothesis of a greater predictive power of parental variables than of child ones is confirmed for fathers. The results are discussed both for research and clinical purposes.

Parental differential treatment, child’s externalizing behavior and sibling relationships: Bridging links with child’s perception of favoritism and personality, and parents’ self-efficacy

This study examined the associations between parental differential treatment (PDT), children’s externalizing behavior (EB), and sibling relationships, as well as the intervening effects of children’s perceptions of favoritism, personality, and parents’ self-efficacy (SE). A total of 117 families having a child clinically referred for EB problems were studied. First, the role of PDT and perceived favoritism on EB and sibling relationships was examined. PDT was moderately related to both EB and sibling affection. Perception of favoritism was only predictive of sibling hostility. Second, EB effects on PDT were examined and the mediating role of parents’ SE within this relation was explored. EB predicted higher level PDT in parents and the link between PDT and EB was mediated by parental SE.

From Parents to Siblings and Peers: The Wonderful Story of Social Development

The objective of the current research was to test the hypotheses arising from the epigenetic view of social development and from the wider perspective offered by the social network model with three interactional systems, that is, child–parent, child–sibling, and child–peer. They were tested in two prospective longitudinal studies using a multi-informant and multi-method strategy. Study 1 was conducted among 83 children and their parents and Study 2 among 190 children. Attachment security with parents was assessed when the children were 4 years of age, relationships with siblings at 5 years of age, and relationships with peers at 6 years of age. Attachment to parent was found to explain a limited part of variations in later social relationships with siblings and peers. The sibling interactional system had a consistent and enduring effect on later peer relationships. With regard to the two theoretical backgrounds under consideration, neither was able to account for equivocal findings displayed in the two studies as well as in previous research. The wonderful story of social development seems to be a very complex process for which new models are needed.

The psychometric properties of the french version of the personality inventory for DSM-5

In the context of the publication of DSM-5, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) has been proposed as a new dimensional assessment tool for personality disorders. This instrument includes a pool of 220 items organized around 25 facets included in a five-factor second-order domain structure. The examination of the replicability of the trait structure across methods and populations is of primary importance. In view of this need, the main objective of the current study was to validate the French version of the PID-5 among French-speaking adults from a European community sample (N=2,532). In particular, the assumption of unidimensionality of the 25 facet and the five domain scales was tested, as well as the extent to which the five-factor structure of the PID-5 and the DSM-5 personality trait hierarchical structure are replicated in the current sample. The results support the assumption of unidimensionality of both the facets and the domains. Exploratory factor and hierarchical analyses replicated the five-factor structure as initially proposed in the PID-5.

A comparative study of mothers’ beliefs and childrearing behaviour: The effect of the child’s disability and the mother’s educational level

The article presents the results of a data analysis intended to examine the relationship between children’s personality, maternal beliefs and childrearing behaviour and various disabilities on the one hand (mildly, moderate or severe mental handicap, sensorial handicap, developmental disabilities) and mothers’ educational level on the other.Data were taken from 102 mothers of disabled children between the ages of three and six. The children came from the Walloon Region of Belgium and were regularly counselled by an early intervention team (Services d’Aide Précoce — SAP). Variance analyses were performed on questionnaire data from the total sample (n=102). The questionnaires were based on the Five Factor Model of personality rating (Roskam, de Maere-Gaudissart, & Vandenplas-Holper, 2000), and on Sameroff’s levels of parental development for the rating of maternal beliefs. Factorial correspondence analyses were also performed on maternal self-reported childrearing behaviour as described in 50 interviews with mothers, analysed with a coding gird.The results confirm that the child’s disability contribute to changing maternal beliefs about personality and development as well as it may be considered as a main source of a change in the maternal directiveness. The results also confirm that the complexity of the mothers’ explanatory models about child’s development vary according to their educational level. Furthermore, while earlier studies were comparisons with a broad ranging sample, the present one explore comparisons between several disabilities. Contrary to most of the previous studies, it doesn’t focus only on directiveness but also on other subcategories of the mothers’ childrearing behaviour. Finally, several results here presented need future research. They are in favour of the relation between mother’s educational level and childrearing behaviour while previous ones were much debated. They have also shown that general subcategories were not sufficient to describe mothers’ childrearing behaviour. More complex dimensions have been extracted from the analyses.RésuméLes données présentées dans cet article examinent la personnalité des enfants, les théories implicites et les pratiques éducatives des mères en relation avec d’une part, différents types de handicaps (handicap mental léger, modéré, sévère, handicap sensoriel, troubles du développement) et d’autre part, le niveau de scolarisation des mères.Les données ont été récoltées auprès de 102 mères d’enfants porteurs d’un handicap, âgés de trois à six ans. Les enfants proviennent de la Région Wallonne en Belgique et étaient régulièrement suivis par un Service d’Aide Précoce (SAP).Des analyses de variance ont été réalisées sur les données issues des questionnaires utilisés auprès de l’échantillon total (n=102). Les questionnaires sont basés sur le Modèle à Cinq Facteurs de la personnalité (Roskam, de Maere-Gaudissart, & Vandenplas-Holper, 2000) et sur les niveaux de développement parental en ce qui concerne les théories implicites maternelles (Sameroff & Feil, 1985). Une analyse factorielle de correspondance a également été réalisée sur les pratiques éducatives maternelles auto rapportées dans 50 interviews codées au moyen d’une grille d’analyse de contenu.Les résultats confirment que la présence d’un handicap chez l’enfant contribue au changement des théories implicites maternelles à propos de la personnalité et du développement de l’enfant de même qu’elle peut être considérée comme une des sources principales de variation du niveau de directivité maternelle. Les résultats confirment également que la complexité des modèles attributionnels des mères à propos du développement de leur enfant varie selon leur niveau de scolarisation.En outre, la présente recherche explore les comparaisons entre plusieurs types de handicaps tandis que les recherches précédentes se référaient à un échantillon d’enfants tout venant. Contrairement aux études antérieures, les variables liées aux pratiques éducatives maternelles ne se focalisent pas exclusivement sur le niveau de directivité mais également sur d’autres sous catégories.Enfin, certains résultats présentés dans cet article nécessitent des recherches ultérieures. Ils sont notamment en faveur d’un lien entre pratiques éducatives et niveau de scolarisation maternel tandis que plusieurs études antérieures affichaient des résultats contradictoires. Ils indiquent aussi que les sous catégories générales ne seraient pas suffisantes pour décrire les pratiques éducatives maternelles qui nécessiteraient des dimensions plus complexes dont deux ont été extraites de nos analyses.

When there Seem to be No Predetermining Factors: Early Child and Proximal Family Risk Predicting Externalizing Behavior in Young Children Incurring No Distal Family Risk.

The main objective of the current study was to examine the impact of two child risk factors, i.e. personality and inhibition, and two proximal family risk factors, i.e. parenting and attachment, and the impact of their cumulative effect on later externalizing behavior among young children incurring no distal family risk. Data were collected in a longitudinal two-wave design from 161 non-referred and referred children aged three to five years at the onset of the study. All of the children were raised in families of middle to high socio-economic status, i.e. their parents were educated to a middle to high level, had access to the job market and lived together as couples. The four risk domains were assessed at the onset of the study, while EB was rated both at the onset of the study and in the 24-month follow-up. Results confirmed that the four risk domains were each both correlates of EB and efficient at discriminating non-referred from referred children; that their combination regardless of their content (cumulative risk) provided a strong prediction of both later EB and non-referred vs referred sample membership. The results are discussed both for research and clinical purposes.

Do Parenting Variables Have Specific or Widespread Impact on Parenting Covariates? The Effects of Manipulating Self-Efficacy or Verbal Responsiveness

ABSTRACT This research aimed at determining to what extent manipulating a specific parenting variable, self-efficacy beliefs or verbal responsiveness, causes specific change in this variable alone, or conversely to what extent it causes widespread change that affects other parenting covariates—in particular behavioral and emotional responsiveness, positive affect irritability, support, and control. Two microtrials were used to achieve this goal. The 45 parents participating were randomly assigned to an 8-week waiting list followed by an 8-week intervention condition focusing on self-efficacy manipulation, or to an 8-week intervention condition focusing on verbal responsiveness manipulation. It can be concluded from the results that the two specific parenting variables under consideration had widespread effects on the six parenting behaviors, with the exception of control in the self-efficacy beliefs condition. The results are discussed for both empirical and clinical purposes.