NEGATIVE PARENTING AND CHILD IRRITABILITY ACROSS CULTURES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

Abstract

Children with irritability are vulnerable to negative parenting. Negative parenting and parenting stress, in turn, may exacerbate and predict increases in child symptoms (Kiff et al., 2011). Cross-cultural similarities emerge in mothers’ self-efficacy about anger regulation (Di Giunta et al., 2020). However, little is known about cross-cultural similarities and differences in the associations between child irritability and parenting practices. To examine whether there are differences in maternal parenting practices and ideologies across different cultures and investigate their correlations with irritability symptoms in early childhood. N = 3003 mothers from the Fragile Families study at Wave 4 and their report of their children (age 5). Cross-Sectional Network Analysis in R with the following nodes: Aggravation in Parenting (from Child Development Supplement of Panel Study of Income Dynamics), Child Irritability (Child Behavior Checklist-Irritability items), Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale: Non-Violent Discipline, Psychological Aggression, Physical Assault, Neglect. Cultural Attachment: attachment to racial/ethnic heritage and participation in cultural practicesResults provide initial evidence of both similarities and differences in parenting practices and ideologies in different cultures. While parental psychological aggression and neglect are associated with child irritability across races/ethnicities, parenting stress is associated with child irritability in White participants only. It is important to better understand parenting practices and parenting related stress, and their specific impact on child outcomes across cultures. Further directions include longitudinal network studies on parenting and child irritability as well as paternal parenting practices across cultures.