The complementary effect of parenting in the prediction of positive and negative emotions of argentine children

SCHULZ, ANNIE; LEMOS, VIVIANA; RICHAUD DE MINZI, MARÍA CRISTINA

Denver, Estados Unidos

Congreso; Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development; 2009

Society for Research in Child Development

There are consistent research results showing that parenting practices and styles are linked to the emotional development of children. Children who feel loved and accepted are happier and more confident (Driscoll, Russell and Crockett, 2007), meanwhile, those who lack the support from their parents, are neglected or exposed to rather extreme levels of parental monitoring are more vulnerable to the development of negative affect. In this study, we analyzed the occurrence of this phenomenon in 150 Argentine children between 8 and 12 years old, taking into account the role of both father and mother. The measures used were all Argentine validations of scales used to assess the variables included in the study: Scale of Perception of the Relationships with Parents, Dimensions of Depression Profile for Children and Adolescents, Louvain Loneliness Scale for Children and Adolescents and Positive Emotions Scale for Children, which included subscales of Joyfulness, Serenity, Satisfaction and Sympathy. The results of the stepwise regression analyses showed that the father figure, which is sometimes taken as less relevant in literature, is a keystone source for the emotional development of children. Both parents’ acceptance, together with the exertion of a positive monitoring were related to positive emotions, and positive affect was negatively predicted by permissiveness from behalf of both parents and extreme control from mothers (R2 = .16; p = .000 for joyfulness; R2 = .08; p = .017 for serenity; R2 = .19; p = .000 for satisfaction and R2 = .29; p = .000 for sympathy). On the other hand, negative emotions of loneliness and depression were predicted mostly by the fathers’ disciplinary practices related to permissiveness and extreme control, while a negative prediction of negative affect is applied to fathers’ acceptance and positive control (R2 = .38; p = .000 for depression and R2 = .24; p = .000 for loneliness). Autonomy lent by parents did not prove to be relevant in this model. This analysis was also done controlling for gender and age and the results were very similar to those already presented. As shown above, the role of fathers is especially important in the development of negative emotions, as well as positive affect. This study gives sustain to the fact that, contrary to the general interest in the exclusive role of mothers, both parenting roles are still in full force when it comes to the emotional development of the child. This study has also shown the validity of positive parenting, manifested as acceptance, positive monitoring and discipline exerted by parents, as the best disciplinary means to warrant the emotional health of children and to buffer the effects of negative emotional outcomes.