A Protective Process Model of Parent-Child Affective Quality and Child Mastery Effects on Oppositional Behaviors: A Test and Replication
Section snippets
Protective Role of Sense of Mastery
Research has demonstrated that self-esteem perceptions, in general, and sense of mastery or self-efficacy, in particular, are associated with lower levels of problem behaviors (Allen, Leadbeater, & Aber, 1990; Botvin et al., 1993; Brook, Brook, Gordon, Whiteman, & Cohen, 1990; Chung & Elias 1996, Conrad, Flay, & Hill 1992, Emery, McDermott, Holcomb, & Marty 1993, Kandel & Andrews 1987, Kaplan 1980, Leary, Schreindorfer, & Haupt 1995, McGrath & Chassin 1995, Rosenberg, Schooler, & Schoenbach 1989
Protective Effects of Parent-Child Affective Quality
Work by numerous researchers has shown that healthy affectional ties with parents positively affect children’s self-esteem perceptions, including their sense of mastery Barber, Chadwick, & Oerter 1992, Biringen 1990, Cicchetti, Rogosch, Lynch, & Holt 1993, Felson & Zielinski 1989, Fleming & Anderson 1986, Gecas 1971, Gecas, & Schwalbe 1986, Greenberg, Siegel, & Leitch 1983, McCormick & Kennedy 1994, Papini, Sebby, & Clark 1989, Paterson, Pryor, & Field 1995, Werner 1993, Whitbeck et al. 1991.
Controlling for Intervention Attendance Effects
In prior investigation of sequences of intervention effects, measures of the affective quality of the parent-child relationship have been shown to have a significant positive relationship with measures of intervention attendance (Spoth & Redmond, 1996). Because of this finding, an intervention attendance variable was included in the tested model to control for an expected effect of attendance on parent-child affective quality between Time 1 and Time 2. However, it should be noted that an
Overview of the Protective Process Model
The previously summarized literature suggested a model incorporating a combination of across-time and more immediate or concurrent effects on young adolescent oppositional behaviors. It was hypothesized that: (a) Time 1 parent-child affective quality would have a direct negative effect on Time 2 oppositional behaviors; (b) Time 2 parent-child affective quality would have a negative effect on Time 2 oppositional behaviors and a positive effect on Time 2 sense of mastery; (c) Time 2 sense of
Context of the Study
This is one of a series of studies conducted for Project Family, a project designed to conduct multiple phases of single- and multicomponent preventive intervention research—that is, needs assessments, investigation of participant engagement factors, efficacy study, and dissemination of validated interventions Spoth 1997, Spoth in press. This article reports analyses of data from two efficacy studies. The primary objective of an intervention evaluated in these efficacy studies—the Preparing for
Sample
Data for Study 1 were collected as part of a pilot PDFY intervention evaluation study. Families were recruited from six school districts in two rural counties in a Midwestern state that were eligible for special financial assistance through a federally-funded school lunch program. School district eligibility for this financial assistance required having a specified proportion of families within the district that met the income requirements for the school lunch program. Because it was assumed
Study 1 results
The structural equation model incorporating the hypothesized relationships among model variables was estimated using the covariance matrix as input. The model goodness-of-fit indices indicated that the overall fit of the hypothesized model was adequate (χ29 = 15.7, p = .07; GFI = .98; AGFI = .92; CN = 202). Examination of the modification indices suggested that no substantial improvement in fit could be gained by the addition of an additional effect path.
Examination of the individual model
Sample
Data for Study 2 were collected from families of sixth graders as part of a longitudinal evaluation of the PDFY intervention and another family-competency training intervention, the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) (Kumpfer, Molgaard, & Spoth, 1996). The ISFP is somewhat more intensive than the PDFY; it is a seven-session program in which children attend all sessions. To maximize comparability with Study 1, the sample used for the analyses reported in this paper included only the
Study 2 results
Generally, Study 2 model fitting results replicated those from Study 1. The only exceptions concerned: (a) the intervention attendance effect on Time 2 parent-child affective quality, which was not statistically significant in Study 2 and (b) the effect of Time 1 oppositional behaviors on Time 2 parent-child affective quality, which was significant in Study 2. Findings concerning all other effects were replicated, including the significant positive effect of Time 1 parent-child affective
Discussion
Results of the analyses generally supported the protective process model examined. Study 2 results were very similar to those from Study 1. Although the hypothesized effects of parent-child affective quality and child sense of mastery on oppositional behaviors were generally supported across the analyses conducted with both samples, some of the specific effect path results warrant further discussion.
The findings were consistent with the reviewed literature indicating that parent-child affective
Conclusions
It is useful to consider the practical implications of this study, while keeping the aforementioned study limitations in mind. At a minimum, study results support the efforts of teachers and other school personnel to evaluate school policies and programs that address the quality of students’ relationships with their parents and, relatedly, parents’ involvement with schools. With positive results from future investigations that address the limitations of the current study, there would be further
Acknowledgements
Work on this study was supported by research grant DA 070 29-01A1 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and by grant MH 49217-01A1 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments and editorial assistance from Heidi Lepper, Jeffrey H. Kahn, Cathy Hockaday, and two anonymous reviewers.
References (76)
- et al.
Outcome, prognosis, and risk in a longitudinal follow-up study
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(1992) - et al.
Quality of perceived parenting in oppositional and conduct disordered adolescents
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(1990) - et al.
The relationship of adolescents’ expectations and values to delinquency, hard drug use, and unprotected sexual intercourse
Development & Psychopathology
(1990) - et al.
DSM-IV diagnosis of conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorderImplications and guidelines for school mental health teams
School Psychology Review
(1996) - et al.
Hyperactive and aggressive pathwaysEffects of demographic, family, and child characteristics on children’s adaptive functioning
Journal of Clinical Child Psychology
(1996) - et al.
Parental behaviors and adolescent self-esteem in the United States and Germany
Journal of Marriage and the Family
(1992) Fostering resiliency in kidsProtective factors in the family, school and community
(1991)Direct observation of maternal sensitivity and dyadic interactions in the homeRelations to maternal thinking
Developmental Psychology
(1990)Structural equations with latent variables
(1989)- et al.
Modeling the etiology of adolescent substance useA test of the social development model
Journal of Drug Issues
(1996)
Patterns of adolescent involvement in problem behaviorsRelationship to self-efficacy, social competence, and life events
American Journal of Community Psychology
Resilience in maltreated childrenProcesses leading to adaptive outcome
Development and Psychopathology
A developmental and clinical model for the prevention of conduct disorderThe Fast Tract Program. Special issue; Developmental approaches to prevention and intervention
Development and Psychology
Iowa Youth and Families Project, Wave A (technical report)
Why children start smoking cigarettesPredictors of onset
British Journal of Addiction
The affective organization of parentingAdaptive and maladaptive processes
Psychological Bulletin
Development during adolescenceThe impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents’ experiences in schools and in families
American Psychologist
The relationship between youth substance use and area-specific self-esteem
Journal of School Health
Children’s self-esteem and parental support
Journal of Marriage and the Family
Individuation from the family of origin and personal adjustment in late adolescence
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
Parental behavior and dimensions of adolescent self-evaluation
Sociometry
Parental behavior and adolescent self-esteem
Journal of Marriage and the Family
Parenting quality, adversity, and conduct problems in adolescenceTesting process-oriented models of resilience
Development and Psychopathology
The nature and importance of attachment relationships to parents and peers during adolescence
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthoodImplications for substance abuse prevention
Psychological Bulletin
The analysis of covariance structure structuresGoodness-of-fit indices
Sociological Methods and Research
Successful adolescent development among youth in high-risk settings
American Psychologist
Parent characteristics and parent-child interactions in families of nonproblem children and ADHD children with higher and lower levels of oppositional-defiant behavior
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
LISREL VIAnalysis of linear structural relationships by maximum likelihood, instrumental variables, and least squares
LISREL 7: A guide to the program and applications
Processes of adolescent socialization by parents and peers
International Journal of the Addictions
Deviant behavior in defense of self
Negative social sanctions, self-rejection, and drug abuse
Youth & Society
Self-rejection, coping style, and mode of deviant response
Social Science Quarterly
Adolescent mental health
American Psychologist
Prediction of children’s referral to mental health and special education services from earlier adjustment
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Preparing for the Drug Free YearsEffects of a preventive parent-training intervention on observed family interactions
Journal of Community Psychology
The Strengthening Families Program for the prevention of delinquency and drug use
Cited by (15)
Parental support, partner support, and the trajectories of mastery from adolescence to early adulthood
2011, Journal of AdolescenceCitation Excerpt :Significant improvement in the model fit was obtained by allowing the correlations to be different [Δχ2 (2 df) = 7.56] which indicate that the influence of parental and partner support on the change in mastery is different across the transition to adulthood and early adulthood years. Family plays a significant role in the development of mastery during childhood and adolescence (Conger et al., 2009; Hokoda & Fincham, 1995; Spoth et al., 1999). Most children and adolescents live at home where parents still set the rules and boundaries in their daily lives (Madsen, 2008).
Relation between active mediation, exposure to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and US preschoolers’ social and emotional development
2016, Journal of Children and MediaChanging parent's mindfulness, child management skills and relationship quality with their youth: Results from a randomized pilot intervention trial
2010, Journal of Child and Family StudiesUniversal intervention as a protective shield against exposure to substance use: Long-term outcomes and public health significance
2009, American Journal of Public HealthPreventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities
2009, Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities