Perceived parenting styles, self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety and competence in Argentine boys.

BELÉN MESURADO; MARÍA CRISTINA RICHAUD

Montreal

Congreso; 2011 SRCD Biennial Meeting; 2011

Society for Research in Child Development

Several recent studies have indicated that there is a relationship between various forms of psychogical disturbances during childhood and perceived parenting style, that is, the child’s perceptions of his/her parents’ behaviour (Wolfradt, Hempel, & Miles, 2003). Darling and Steinberg (1993) have defined parenting style "as a constellation of attitudes toward the child that is communicated to the child and that, taken together, create an emotional climate in which the parents’ behaviours are expressed" (p. 488). The parenting styles are risk factors for individual development during childhood. In this line, Samper, et al. (2006) say that the parental styles are important factors in cognitive, emotional and social child development. Some studies have shown that perceived authoritarian and controlling parenting styles are closely related to psychological disturbances in childhood. Another study shows that the lack of discipline (e.g. no control, no punishment) is related to poor psychological adjustment (Johnson, Shulman, & Collins, 1991). The first purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship among perceived parenting styles, self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety and competence. The second aim is to test, through Structural Equation Modeling, if two different combinations of perceived parenting styles -(Model 1) father’s and mother’s pathological control; (Model 2) father’s and mother’s extreme autonomy- may directly affect self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety and, indirectly, competence in boys. This study included a sample of 432 middle class boys, aged 8 to 12 (M= 10.98, SD= 1.05), from primary schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The measures were based on: Richaud’s Argentine Scale of Perception of Relationships with Parents for Children (Acceptance, Acceptable Control, Strict Control, Pathological Control, and Extreme Autonomy), but only two Parenting styles -Pathological Control, and Extreme Autonomy- were included in this study; and Argentine Survey of Personality developed by Lemos (2004). This instrument was built to measure personality traits according to the "big five" factors of personality by Costa and McCrae. This questionnaire assesses five types of personality: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness and agreeableness. In this study, the Neuroticism scale which measures self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety, and competence was used. Father’s and mother’s pathological control were related to self-criticism, vulnerability and anxiety. Father’s and mother’s extreme autonomy were inversely related to self-criticism, but they were not related to vulnerability and anxiety. Mother’s pathological control and father’s extreme autonomy were inversely related to competence. Self-criticism was related to vulnerability and anxiety. Finally, only anxiety was inversely related to competence (Table 1). The two models fit the data very well (model 1: ÷2 (5) = 56.8, p <. 000, GFI = .96; AGFI = .82, RMR = .02 and model 2: ÷2 (5) = 89.1, p <. 000, GFI = .93; AGFI = .73, RMR = .03). When boys perceived that both parents had pathological control on them, they exercised self-criticism and felt more vulnerable and anxious (depicted in Figure 1), but this did not happen when boys perceived they experienced extreme autonomy. The two models showed that the self-criticism affected competence, anxiety inversely affected competence and vulnerability did not affect competence.et al. (2006) say that the parental styles are important factors in cognitive, emotional and social child development. Some studies have shown that perceived authoritarian and controlling parenting styles are closely related to psychological disturbances in childhood. Another study shows that the lack of discipline (e.g. no control, no punishment) is related to poor psychological adjustment (Johnson, Shulman, & Collins, 1991). The first purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship among perceived parenting styles, self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety and competence. The second aim is to test, through Structural Equation Modeling, if two different combinations of perceived parenting styles -(Model 1) father’s and mother’s pathological control; (Model 2) father’s and mother’s extreme autonomy- may directly affect self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety and, indirectly, competence in boys. This study included a sample of 432 middle class boys, aged 8 to 12 (M= 10.98, SD= 1.05), from primary schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The measures were based on: Richaud’s Argentine Scale of Perception of Relationships with Parents for Children (Acceptance, Acceptable Control, Strict Control, Pathological Control, and Extreme Autonomy), but only two Parenting styles -Pathological Control, and Extreme Autonomy- were included in this study; and Argentine Survey of Personality developed by Lemos (2004). This instrument was built to measure personality traits according to the "big five" factors of personality by Costa and McCrae. This questionnaire assesses five types of personality: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness and agreeableness. In this study, the Neuroticism scale which measures self-criticism, vulnerability, anxiety, and competence was used. Father’s and mother’s pathological control were related to self-criticism, vulnerability and anxiety. Father’s and mother’s extreme autonomy were inversely related to self-criticism, but they were not related to vulnerability and anxiety. Mother’s pathological control and father’s extreme autonomy were inversely related to competence. Self-criticism was related to vulnerability and anxiety. Finally, only anxiety was inversely related to competence (Table 1). The two models fit the data very well (model 1: ÷2 (5) = 56.8, p <. 000, GFI = .96; AGFI = .82, RMR = .02 and model 2: ÷2 (5) = 89.1, p <. 000, GFI = .93; AGFI = .73, RMR = .03). When boys perceived that both parents had pathological control on them, they exercised self-criticism and felt more vulnerable and anxious (depicted in Figure 1), but this did not happen when boys perceived they experienced extreme autonomy. The two models showed that the self-criticism affected competence, anxiety inversely affected competence and vulnerability did not affect competence.÷2 (5) = 56.8, p <. 000, GFI = .96; AGFI = .82, RMR = .02 and model 2: ÷2 (5) = 89.1, p <. 000, GFI = .93; AGFI = .73, RMR = .03). When boys perceived that both parents had pathological control on them, they exercised self-criticism and felt more vulnerable and anxious (depicted in Figure 1), but this did not happen when boys perceived they experienced extreme autonomy. The two models showed that the self-criticism affected competence, anxiety inversely affected competence and vulnerability did not affect competence.÷2 (5) = 89.1, p <. 000, GFI = .93; AGFI = .73, RMR = .03). When boys perceived that both parents had pathological control on them, they exercised self-criticism and felt more vulnerable and anxious (depicted in Figure 1), but this did not happen when boys perceived they experienced extreme autonomy. The two models showed that the self-criticism affected competence, anxiety inversely affected competence and vulnerability did not affect competence.