Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T09:44:33.510Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Disrupting intergenerational continuity in harsh parenting: Self-control and a supportive partner

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2016

Thomas J. Schofield ,
Rand D. Conger  and
Kathi J. Conger
Thomas J. Schofield*
Affiliation:
Iowa State University
Rand D. Conger
Affiliation:
University of California–Davis
Kathi J. Conger
Affiliation:
University of California–Davis
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Thomas J. Schofield, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, 1360 Palmer, Ames, IA 50010; E-mail: tomschofield@gmail.com.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Harsh, abusive, and rejecting behavior by parents toward their children is associated with increased risk for many developmental problems for youth. Children raised by harsh parents are also more likely to treat their own children harshly. The present study addresses conditions that would break this intergenerational cycle of harsh parenting. Data come from a three-generation study of a cohort of 290 adolescents (Generation 2 [G2], 52% female) grown to adulthood and their parents (Generation 1 [G1]). During adolescence, observers rated G1 harsh parenting to G2. Several years later observers rated G2 harsh parenting toward their oldest child (Generation 3 [G3]). Several adaptive systems fundamental to human resilience attenuate intergenerational continuity in harshness. G2 parents were relatively less harsh to G3 children (notwithstanding a history of harshness from G1) when G2's romantic partner (a) communicated positively with G2 and (b) had a good relationship with G3, and (c) when G2 was high on self-control. Interventions that target all of these protective factors may not only break but also reverse the intergenerational cycle of child maltreatment.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , October 2017 , pp. 1279 - 1287
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This research is currently supported by Grant HD064687 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. Support for earlier years of the study also came from multiple sources, including the National Institute of Mental Health (MH00567, MH19734, MH43270, MH59355, MH62989, MH48165, MH051361), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA05347), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD027724, HD051746, HD047573), the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (MCJ-109572), and the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Adolescent Development Among Youth in High-Risk Settings.

References

Avinun, R., & Knafo, A. (2014). Parenting as a reaction evoked by children's genotype: A meta-analysis of children-as-twins studies. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 87–102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baumeister, R. F., Dale, K., & Sommer, K. L. (1998). Freudian defense mechanisms and empirical findings in modern social psychology: Reaction formation, projection, displacement, undoing, isolation, sublimation, and denial. Journal of Personality, 66, 1081–1124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In Bollen, K. A. & Long, J. S. (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Caspi, A., & Elder, G. H. (1988). Emergent family patterns: The intergenerational construction of problem behavior and relations. In Hinde, R. & Stevenson-Hinde, J. (Eds.), Relationships within families: Mutual influences (pp. 218–240). Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Chen, M., & Johnston, C. (2007). Maternal inattention and impulsivity and parenting behaviors. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36, 455–468.Google Scholar
Collins, W. A., Maccoby, E. E., Steinberg, L., Hetherington, E. M., & Bornstein, M. H. (2000). Contemporary research on parenting: The case for nature and nurture. American Psychologist, 55, 218–232.Google Scholar
Conger, R. D., Belsky, J., & Capaldi, D. M. (2009). The intergenerational transmission of parenting: Closing comments for the special section. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1276–1283.Google Scholar
Conger, R. D., & Conger, K. J. (2002). Resilience in Midwestern families: Selected findings from the first decade of a prospective, longitudinal study. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 361–373.Google Scholar
Conger, R. D., & Donnellan, M. B. (2007). An interactionist perspective on the socioeconomic context of human development. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 175–199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conger, R. D., & Elder, G. H. (1994). Families in troubled times: Adapting to change in rural America. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Conger, R. D., Schofield, T. J., & Neppl, T. K. (2012). Intergenerational continuity and discontinuity in harsh parenting. Parenting: Science and Practice, 12, 222–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conger, R. D., Schofield, T. J., Neppl, T. K., & Merrick, M. T. (2013). Disrupting intergenerational continuity in harsh and abusive parenting: The importance of a nurturing relationship with a romantic partner. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53, S11–S17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowan, P. A., Cowan, C. P., Pruett, M. K., Pruett, K., & Wong, J. J. (2009). Promoting fathers’ engagement with children: Preventive interventions for low-income families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 663–679.Google Scholar
Cuevas, K., Deater-Deckard, K., Kim-Spoon, J., Watson, A. J., & Morasch, K. C. (2014). What's mom got to do with it? Contributions of maternal executive function and caregiving to the development of executive function across early childhood. Developmental Science, 17, 224–238.Google Scholar
Diamond, A., Barnett, W. S., Thomas, J., & Munro, S. (2007). Preschool program improves cognitive control. Science, 318, 1387–1388.Google Scholar
Dittmar, H., Bond, R., Hurst, M., & Kasser, T. (2014). The relationship between materialism and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107, 879–924.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dogan, S. J., Conger, R. D., Kim, K. J., & Masyn, K. E. (2007). Cognitive and parenting pathways in the transmission of antisocial behavior from parents to adolescents. Child Development, 78, 335–349.Google Scholar
Effron, D. A., Bryan, C. J., & Murnighan, J. K. (2015). Cheating at the end to avoid regret. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109, 395–414.Google Scholar
Ferrer, E., & McArdle, J. J. (2003). Alternative structural models for multivariate longitudinal data analysis. Structural Equation Modeling, 10, 493–524.Google Scholar
Funder, D. C. (1999). Personality judgment: A realistic approach to person perception. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Green, D. P., Ha, S. E., & Bullock, J. G. (2010). Enough already about “black box” experiments: Studying mediation is more difficult than most scholars suppose. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 628, 200–208.Google Scholar
Haller, M. M., & Chassin, L. (2010). The reciprocal influences of perceived risk for alcoholism and alcohol use over time: Evidence for aversive transmission of parental alcoholism. Journal of the Study of Alcohol and Drugs, 71, 588–596.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harburg, E., Davis, D. R., & Caplan, R. (1982). Parent and offspring alcohol use: Imitative and aversive transmission. Journal of Studies of Alcohol, 43, 497–516.Google Scholar
Harkness, A. R., Tellegen, A., & Waller, N. (1995). Differential convergence of self-report and informant data for Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire traits: Implications for the constructive of negative emotionality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 64, 185–204.Google Scholar
Hayduk, L. A. (1987). Structural equation modeling with LISREL: Essentials and advances. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Hayduk, L. A., & Littvay, L. (2012). Should researchers use single indicators, best indicators, or multiple indicators in structural equation models? BMC Medical Research Methodology, 12, 159.Google Scholar
Hinnant, J. B., Erath, S. A., & El-Sheikh, M. (2015). Harsh parenting, parasympathetic activity, and development of delinquency and substance use. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 124, 137–151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hops, H., Davis, B., Leve, C., & Sheeber, L. (2003). Cross-generational transmission of aggressive parent behavior: A prospective, mediational examination. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 161–169.Google Scholar
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.Google Scholar
Kaminski, J. W., Valle, L. A., Filene, J. H., & Boyle, C. L. (2008). A meta-analytic review of components associated with parent training program effectiveness. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 567–589.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kawabata, Y., Alink, L. R. A., Tseng, W., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Crick, N. R. (2011). Maternal and paternal parenting styles associated with relational aggression in children and adolescents: A conceptual analysis and meta-analytic review. Developmental Review, 31, 240–278.Google Scholar
Kendler, K. S., & Baker, J. H. (2007). Genetic influences on measures of the environment: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 37, 615–626.Google Scholar
Little, A (2016). The parents as partners programme: An economic appraisal. A report for the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships. Retrieved May 20, 2016, from http://probonoeconomics.com/sites/probonoeconomics.com/files/files/reports/TCCR%20PAP%20final%20report%2018.05.2016.pdf Google Scholar
Lorber, M. F., O'Leary, S. G., & Kendziora, K. T. (2003). Mothers’ overreactive discipline and their encoding and appraisals of toddler behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 485–494.Google Scholar
Main, M., & Goldwyn, R. (1984). Predicting rejection of her infant from mother's representation of her own experience: Implications for the abused-abusing intergenerational cycle. Child Abuse and Neglect, 8, 203–217.Google Scholar
Masarik, A. S., Martin, M. J., Ferrer, E., Lorenz, F. O., Conger, K. J., & Conger, R. D. (2016). Couple resilience to economic pressure over time and across generations. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78, 326–345.Google Scholar
Masten, A. S. (2014). Risk and resilience in development. In Lelazo, P. D. (Ed.), Oxford handbook of developmental psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 579–608). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Masten, A. S., & Coatsworth, J. D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children. American Psychologist, 53, 205–220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Melby, J. N., & Conger, R. D. (2001). The Iowa family interaction rating scales: Instrument summary. In Kerig, P. & Lindahl, K. (Eds.), Family observational coding systems: Resources for systematic research. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Meredith, W. (1993). Measurement invariance, factor analysis and factorial invariance. Psychometrika, 58, 525–543.Google Scholar
Moore, G. A., Cohn, J. F., & Campbell, S. B. (2001). Infant affective responses to mother's still face at 6 months differentially predict externalizing and internalizing behaviors at 18 months. Developmental Psychology, 37, 706–714.Google Scholar
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2013). Mplus user's guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Author.Google Scholar
Neitzel, C., & Stright, A. D. (2004). Parenting behaviours during child problem solving: The roles of child temperament, mother education and personality, and the problem-solving context. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28, 166–179.Google Scholar
Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Carlo, G. (2004). “It's not fair!” Adolescents’ constructions of appropriateness of parental reactions. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 389–401.Google Scholar
Pruett, M. K., Insabella, G. M., & Gustafson, K. (2005). The Collaborative Divorce Project: A court-based intervention for separating parents with young children. Family Court Review, 43, 38–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinton, D., Rutter, M., & Liddle, C. (1984). Institutional rearing, parenting difficulties and marital support. Psychological Medicine, 14, 107–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutherford, H. J. V., Wallace, N. S., Laurent, H. K., & Mayes, L. C. (2015). Emotion regulation in parenthood. Developmental Review, 36, 1–14.Google Scholar
Schofield, T. J., Conger, R. D., Donnellan, M. B., Jochem, R., & Widaman, K. F. (2012). Parent personality and positive parenting as predictors of positive adolescent personality development over time. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 58, 255–283.Google Scholar
Schofield, T. J., Conger, R. D., Martin, M. J., Stockdale, G. D., Conger, K. J., & Widaman, K. F. (2009). Reciprocity in parenting of adolescents within the context of marital negativity. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1708–1722.Google Scholar
Schofield, T. J., & Weaver, J. M. (2016). Democratic parenting beliefs and observed parental sensitivity: Reciprocal influences between coparents. Journal of Family Psychology, 30, 509–515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stajkovic, A. D., Lee, D., & Nyberg, A. J. (2009). Collective efficacy, group potency, and group performance: Meta-analyses of their relationships, and test of a mediation model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 814–828.Google Scholar
Tucker, L. R., & Lewis, C. (1973). A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika, 38, 1–10.Google Scholar
van IJzendoorn, M. H. (1992). Intergenerational transmission of parenting: A review of studies in nonclinical populations. Developmental Review, 12, 76–99.Google Scholar
Whiffen, V. E., & MacIntosh, H. B. (2005). Mediators of the link between childhood sexual abuse and emotional distress: A critical review. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 6, 24–39.Google Scholar