Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Single Mother Parenting and Adolescent Psychopathology

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Children raised in single-mother families are at increased risk for psychopathology, but the mechanisms that help explain this relationship are understudied. In a community sample of diverse adolescents (N = 385, 52 % female, 48 % Caucasian) and their mothers, we hypothesized that single mothers would be more likely than cohabitating mothers to engage in negative parenting behaviors, which would predict adolescent psychopathology prospectively. Single mothers were more likely to engage in psychologically controlling behaviors, which predicted to their adolescent offspring experiencing higher rates of depressive symptoms and externalizing disorders. Girls were more susceptible to depressive symptoms via psychologically controlling parenting than boys in single-mother families. Further, single mothers were more likely to engage in rejecting parenting behaviors, which predicted to a higher prevalence of adolescent externalizing disorders. Surprisingly, rejection in single-mother families predicted to less severe anxiety symptoms in adolescents relative to two-parent families. It is likely that single mothers are not inherently inferior parents relative to cohabitating mothers; rather, their parenting practices are often compromised by a myriad of demands and stressors. Consistent with this postulate, low socioeconomic status was associated with single motherhood and negative parenting behaviors. Clinical implications and study limitations are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alloy, L. B., Abramson, L. Y., Tashman, N. A., Berrebbi, D. S., Hogan, M. E., Whitehouse, W. G., et al. (2001). Developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability to depression: parenting, cognitive, and inferential feedback styles of the parents of individuals at high and low cognitive risk for depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 25, 397–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, P. R. (2001). Children of divorce in the 1990s: an update of the Amato and Keith (1991) meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 355–370.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, P. R. (1993). Children's adjustment to divorce: theories, hypotheses, and empirical support. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 23–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, P. R., & Keith, B. (1991). Parental divorce and the well Being of children: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 26–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., Text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

  • Aseltine, R. H. (1996). Pathways linking parental divorce with adolescent depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 133–148.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, J. S., & Dadds, M. R. (2007). Reliability and validity of parent and child versions of the multidimensional anxiety scale for children in community samples. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 252–260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K. (1996). Parental psychological control: revisiting a neglected construct. Child Development, 67, 3296–3319.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1977). The making and breaking of affectional bonds. British Journal of Psychiatry, 130, 201–210.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Broderick, P. C., & Korteland, C. (2002). Coping style and depression in early adolescence: relationships to gender, gender role, and implicit beliefs. Sex Roles, 46, 201–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brody, G. H., & Flor, D. L. (1998). Maternal resources, parenting practices, and child competence in rural, single-parent African American families. Child Development, 69, 803–816.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burge, D., & Hammen, C. (1991). Maternal communication: predictions of outcome at follow-up in a sample of children at high and low risk for depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 174–180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, S. B., Shaw, D. S., & Gilliom, M. (2000). Early externalizing behavior problems: toddlers and preschoolers at risk for later maladjustment. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 467–488.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. C. (2003). Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73, 1310–1321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, L. A. (1981). The source of stress inventory. Psychology in the Schools, 18, 164–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherlin, A. (1992). Marriage, divorce, remarriage. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chorpita, B. F., & Barlow, D. H. (1998). The development of anxiety: the role of control in the early environment. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 3–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chorpita, B. F., Brown, T. A., & Barlow, D. H. (1998). Perceived control as a mediator of family environment in etiological models of childhood anxiety. Behavior Therapy, 29, 457–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K., Cooper, P., & Creswell, C. (2013). The parental overprotection scale: associations with child and parental anxiety. Journal of Affective Disorders, 151, 618–624.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Compas, B. E., Ey, S., & Grant, K. E. (1993). Taxonomy, assessment, and diagnosis of depression during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 323–344.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crossfield, A. G., Alloy, L. B., Gibb, B. E., & Abramson, L. Y. (2002). The development of depressogenic cognitive styles: the role of negative childhood life events and parental inferential feedback. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 16, 487–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeLeire, T., & Kalil, A. (2002). Good things come in threes: single-parent multigenerational family structure and adolescent adjustment. Demography, 39, 393–413.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Petit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1994). Socialization mediators of the relation between socioeconomic status and child conduct problems. Child Development, 65, 649–665.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Else-Quest, N. M., Clark, R., & Owen, M. T. (2011). Stability in mother-child interactions from infancy through adolescence. Parenting: Science and Practice, 11, 280–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forgatch, M. S., & DeGarmo, D. S. (1999). Parenting through change: an effective prevention program for single moms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 711–724.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garber, J., Robinson, N. S., & Valentiner, D. (1997). The relation between parenting and adolescent depression: self-worth as a mediator. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 12–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. H., & Gotlib, I. H. (1999). Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: a developmental model for understanding mechanism of transmission. Psychological Review, 106, 458–490.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodrum, N. M., Jones, D. J., Kincaid, C. Y., Cuellar, J., & Parent, J. M. (2012). Youth externalizing problems in African American single-mother families: a culturally relevant model. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 4, 294–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grandin, L. D., Alloy, L. B., & Abramson, L. Y. (2007). Childhood stressful life events and bipolar spectrum disorders. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26, 460–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hale, W. W., Engels, R., & Meeus, W. (2006). Adolescent’s perceptions of parenting behaviour and its relationship to generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 407–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hilton, J. M., & Devall, E. L. (1998). Comparison of parenting and children’s behavior in single-mother, single-father, and intact families. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 29, 23–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, A. P., Preston, K. S. J., & Franke, T. M. (2010). Single parenting child behavior problems in kindergarten. Race and Social Problems, 2, 50–58.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kendig, S. M., & Bianchi, S. M. (2008). Single, cohabitating, and married mother’s time with children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 1128–1240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kincaid, C., Jones, D. J., Cueller, J., & Gonzalez, M. (2011). Psychological control associated with youth adjustment and risky behavior in African American single mother families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 20, 102–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, D. N., Dougherty, L. R., & Olino, T. M. (2005). Toward guidelines for evidence-based assessment of depression in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 412–432.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1985). The children’s depression inventory (CDI). Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 995–998.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuczynski, L., & Parkin, M. (2006). Agency and bidirectionality in socialization: interactions, transactions, and relational dialectics. In J. E. Grusec, & P. Hastings (Eds.), Handbook of socialization (pp. 259–283). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipman, E. L., & Offord, D. R. (1994). Disadvantaged children. In: The Canadian guide to clinical preventive health care: The Canadian task force on the periodic health examination. Ottawa: Canada Communication Group Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipman, E. L., Offord, D. R., & Boyle, M. H. (1997). Single mothers in Ontario: sociodemographic, physical and mental health characteristics. Canadian Medical Association, 156, 639–645.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (1986). Family Factors as Correlates and Predictors of Juvenile Conduct Problems and Delinquency. In M. H. Torny, & N. Morris (Eds.) Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research (Vol. 7, (pp. 29–149)). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  • March, J. S., Parker, J. D. A., Sullivan, K., Stallings, P., & Conners, C. (1997). The multidimensional anxiety scale for children (MASC): factor structure, reliability, and validity. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 554–565.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marmorstein, N. R. (2007). Relationships between anxiety and externalizing disorders in youth: the influences of age and gender. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21, 420–432.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McBride-Murry, V., Bynum, M. S., Brody, G. H., Willert, A., & Stephens, D. (2001). African American single mothers and children in context: a review on studies of risk and resilience. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4, 133–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, B. D., Weisz, J. R., & Wood, J. J. (2007a). Examining the association between parenting and childhood depression: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 27, 986–1003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, B. D., Wood, J. J., & Weisz, J. R. (2007b). Examining the association between parenting and childhood anxiety: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 27, 155–172.

  • Moilanen, K. L., Rasmussen, K. E., & Padilla-Walker, L. M. (2014). Bidirectional associations between self-regulation and parenting styles in early adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 25, 246–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muris, P., & Merckelbach, H. (1998). Perceived parental rearing behaviour and anxiety disorders symptoms in normal children. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 1199–1206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orvaschel, H. (1995). Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-Age children - epidemiologic version–5 (K– SADS–E), Nova Southeastern University, Ft. FL: Lauderdale.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petitclerlc, A., Boivin, M., Dionne, G., Zoccolillo, M., & Tremblay, R. E. (2009). Disregard for rules: the early development and predictors of a specific dimension of disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 1477–1484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Antecedents and behavior-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence. Child Development, 72, 583–598.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapee, R. M. (1997). Potential role of childrearing practices in the development of anxiety and depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 47–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raskin, A., Boothe, H. H., Reatig, N. A., Schulterbrandt, J. G., & Odle, D. (1971). Factor analysis of normal and depressed patients’ memories of parental behavior. Psychological Reports, 29, 871–879.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reitz, E., Dekovic, M., & Meijer, A. M. (2006). Relations between parenting and externalizing and internalizing problem behavior in early adolescence: child behavior as moderator and predictor. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 419–436.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph, K. D. (2002). Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 3–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, E. S. (1965a). Children’s reports of parental behavior: an inventory. Child Development, 36, 413–424.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, E. S. (1965b). A configurational analysis of children’s reports of parent behavior. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 29, 552–557.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schleider, J. L., Chorpita, B. F., & Weisz, J. R. (2014). Relation between parent psychiatric symptoms and youth problems: moderation through family structure and youth gender. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42, 195–204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, J. C., Barton-Henry, M. L., & Pruzinsky, T. (1985). Assessing child-rearing behaviors: a comparison of ratings made by mother, father, child, and siblings on the CRPBI. Child Development, 56, 462–479.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shook, S. E., Jones, D. J., Forehand, R., Dorsey, S., & Brody, G. (2010). The mother-coparent relationship and youth adjustment: a study of African American single-mother families. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 243–251.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). State & County Quickfacts: Philadelphia County, PA. Retrieved January 8, 2015, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42600000.html.

  • van der Bruggen, C. O., Stams, G. J., Bogels, S. M., & Paulussen-Hoogeboom, M. C. (2010). Parenting behaviour as a mediator between young children’s negative emotionality and their anxiety/depression. Infant and Child Development, 19, 354–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vespa, J., Lewis, J. M., & Kreider, R. M. (2013). Americas families and living arrangements: 2012. U. S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, P-20, No. 570. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Download references

Author Contributions

ID conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, and drafted the manuscript; JLH assisted in data analysis and drafting the manuscript revisions; LYA co-wrote the grants that enabled data collection for the study; LBA co-wrote the grants that enabled data collection for the study and participated in the design of the study, interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Issar Daryanani.

Ethics declarations

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Funding

This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grants MH79369 and MH101168 to Lauren B. Alloy.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Daryanani, I., Hamilton, J.L., Abramson, L.Y. et al. Single Mother Parenting and Adolescent Psychopathology. J Abnorm Child Psychol 44, 1411–1423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-016-0128-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-016-0128-x

Keywords

Navigation