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What Influences Parenting Behaviour? The Role of Parent Self-Concept

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 September 2020

Catherine B. Gittins Open the ORCID record for Catherine B. Gittins [Opens in a new window] ,
Maree J. Abbott  and
Caroline Hunt
Catherine B. Gittins*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia College of Health & Human Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Maree J. Abbott
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Caroline Hunt
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: C.B. Gittins, College of Health & Human Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT0909, Australia. Email: cgit5705@uni.sydney.edu.au
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Abstract

Parenting has a strong influence on child development. However, there is minimal empirical evidence on why some parents use beneficial techniques, while others use harmful behaviours. Thus, there is a significant gap in the knowledge needed to address problematic parenting. Theories suggest that parental self-concept has a large influence on parenting behaviours. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between parent self-cognitions and parenting behaviours. One-hundred and four mothers of Grade 7 students completed questionnaires measuring their self-esteem, self-criticism, domain-specific self-concept, and parenting behaviours (support, behavioural control, and psychological control). Regression analyses demonstrated that self-cognitions largely predicted psychological control but support or behavioural control did not. These findings suggest that psychologically controlling behaviour in parents may be due to poor self-worth. With psychological control known to deeply damage children, these findings have major implications for interventions targeting harmful parenting.

Keywords

authoritative parentingpsychological controlself-cognitionself-criticismself-esteem
Type
Standard Paper
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 37 , Issue 4 , December 2020 , pp. 195 - 205
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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