Juvenile delinquency continues to be a social ill with parents often being liable for their child's reprehensible behavior. In this nonexperimental, correlational study, the relationship between experienced parenting style and psychosocial maturity was examined in a sample of juvenile offenders receiving intensive in-home services. The General Theory of crime by Gottfredson and Hirshi provided the framework for the study along with parenting style typologies by Baumrind. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 60 11th grade juvenile offenders and their parent/caretakers using questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the data. The Psychosocial Maturity Index was used to measure psychosocial maturity, and the Parenting Skills Dimensions Questionnaire Short Version was used to measure experienced parenting style. Results indicated parenting style did not account for the variance in measures of psychosocial maturity. Stakeholders may benefit from an improved understanding of how measures of psychosocial maturity are impacted by parenting practices.

According to recent data, approximately eighteen percent of children under age 18 live in single-parent households. The majority of research has focused on negative outcomes associated with one-parent households in comparison with their two-parent counterparts, including poor academic performance and increased delinquency rates in children. The current literature neglects to evaluate potentially advantageous factors resultant of being raised in a single-parent home. The proposed study utilizes an exploratory positive psychology approach to investigate levels of resiliency and adaptive skill sets present in college students raised in single-parent households in comparison to degree of cumulative risk encountered. Analyses of these variables will be completed through ordinary least squares multiple regression. Furthermore, parenting style will be examined as a potential moderator of resiliency. Finally, this study proposes the adoption of a new paradigm in ongoing investigation of this unique population. / text

Self-esteem and internalizing symptoms have been found to be of great consequence throughout the lifespan, but behavioral genetic research exploring these variables in young children is lacking. Minimal research has explored the heritability of internalizing difficulties or self-esteem within preschool-aged children, and no studies have done so while also considering parenting behaviors. Thus, the present study investigated the heritability of self-esteem and internalizing symptoms and examined the relations between self-esteem, internalizing symptoms, and parenting behaviors within preschool-aged twins. Data were collected from 61 twin pairs at the ages of 4 and 5. Parenting behavior data were obtained from parent-child interactions that took place in a lab setting when the twins were 4 years old. At age 5, twins were administered a self-report measure of self-esteem and parents completed a measure of internalizing symptoms. Results indicated that internalizing symptoms were significantly heritable but self-esteem was not, although there was some support for the presence of budding genetic influences for self-esteem. Self-esteem and internalizing symptoms were significantly positively related within one sub-sample of twins and were not significantly correlated within the replication sub-sample. Interestingly, self-esteem and internalizing symptoms were not significant predictors of each other above and beyond genetic influences. Parenting behavior was not significantly related to either self-esteem or internalizing symptoms. Results showed that children who over-rated their peer-related competence tended to have more internalizing symptoms than those who under-rated or realistically rated themselves in this domain. Findings demonstrate that genes are important to consider when investigating internalizing symptoms and self-esteem in this age group. Also, although little support was found for the importance of self-esteem accuracy in children's internalizing symptoms, more research is necessary to understand it.

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Parental involvement during late adolescence has been confirmed by scholars as a major determinant in fostering the educational and psychosocial outcomes in the life trajectory of an individual. Certain bodies of literature, however, argue that parental involvement declines dramatically during adolescence, while others insist that parents merely employ more developmentally appropriate forms of involvement. Western-based parental involvement frameworks – while useful – have not sufficiently captured the contextualised perceptions, experiences and challenges of late adolescents in rural South Africa.

Due to the significant relationships between parenting style, attachment, and identity formation found in previous literature, this study investigated the possibility of attachment playing a mediational role in the relationship between parenting and identity style. A total of 264 students from two high schools participated in this study. Although not mediational, significant relationships between maternal responsiveness, attachment, and the normative identity style were found. An outstanding and unexpected finding of this study was that the attachment and responsiveness measurements, although thought to be assessing different variables, are now suspected to be looking at constructs that are almost one-in-the-same. Extending to practical applications, the results of this study could be used to aid programs focused on fostering positive youth development by emphasizing parental interaction, warmth, and support.

Magister Artium - MA / This study aims to explore the family environment of non-admitting sex offenders in order to gain insight into the family characteristics that could be contributing factors towards the behaviour of denial. However, the focus will not be on the families of the sex offenders, but rather on the non-admitting sex offenders’ views of their family environment. The theoretical framework used is the Social Learning Theory, because it supports the fact that most behaviour is learned through modelling the behaviour of others. The researcher used a qualitative approach and the aim of the study was to generate information that would describe the family environment of non-admitting sex offenders. The population of this study was incarcerated, sentenced sex offenders with specific focus on the non-admitting sex offender as the unit of analysis. Ten (10) participants were purposively selected for the study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with each one in order to generate the needed information for the study

According to the dual valuing process model (Grouzet, 2013), the social context can either facilitate the natural human tendency to pursue intrinsic goals, or thwart it by promoting extrinsic goals. Congruent with this idea, research in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) suggests that parental autonomy support (PAS) is associated with the development of intrinsic goals, whereas more controlling parenting styles, such as conditional regard (PCR), are expected to facilitate extrinsic goals. Results from two preliminary studies suggest that mothers tended to use PAS to promote goals that were more intrinsic, as well young adults were more likely to autonomously internalize these goals, whereas PCR was associated with more extrinsic goals. In the current study, we sought to extend these findings by including a general measure of perceived parenting style, as well as asking participants to recall a goal that was promoted during adolescence (i.e., 13-16 years). Results from this study indicate no difference in the type of goal that was promoted or the way in which it was internalized when mothers used either autonomy support or conditional regard, over and above general parenting style. Results will be further discussed in with respect to parenting, self-determination theory, and the dual valuing process model. / Graduate

This study examined parenting style variables in predicting college students’ depression symptoms. Participants were 989 college students who participated in the first wave of the Spit for Science project (Dick et al., 2011). This study described the prevalence of depression symptoms, including the percentage of the sample endorsing various depression symptoms, and the frequency depression scores were elevated at multiple time points. A hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine whether two dimensions of parenting style, Autonomy Granting and Parental Involvement, would interact in predicting depression symptoms in the Junior year. The present study demonstrates that parenting style predicts a small but significant amount of variance in depression symptoms, after controlling for demographic characteristics, and these variables interact in producing their effect. Overall, findings suggest that depression symptoms are common and parenting style is relevant in understanding such symptoms.

Mind-Mindedness, a parent’s tendency to attribute thoughts and intentions to his or her child, is related to numerous child outcomes including infant attachment security and child social-cognitive development. Despite established research, the construct is still developing and current research continues to provide clarification. This study sought to contribute to the clarification of mind-mindedness in three main ways. First, the present study examined within-parent consistency with respect to mind-mindedness, parenting stress, and parenting style. Results indicated that parenting stress and parenting style tended to covary for two children in the same family, whereas mind-mindedness did not. Additionally, parents tended to experience different levels of parenting stress or utilize different parenting strategies between their two children. By contrast, significant differences for mind-mindedness were not found. Secondly, the present study examined the relation between mind-mindedness and parenting stress. Results supported an inverse relation between mind-mindedness and parenting stress for the older child. Results also revealed a positive relation between mind-mindedness and parental distress for the younger child; this was specifically relevant for children age 30 months and younger. Multiple interpretations for this finding are explored. Third, this study examined the relations between parenting style, parenting stress, and mind-mindedness. Results indicated two general trends: For the younger children, when parents thought about their child in a more mind-minded manner, they also tended to utilize more authoritative parenting strategies; this parenting style was also related to lower parenting stress. For the older children, when parents thought about their child in a more mind-minded manner, they also tended to utilize less authoritarian parenting strategies as well as experience less parenting stress as related to parent-child dysfunctional interactions. The findings of this study support previous findings regarding mind-mindedness and parenting stress as well as contribute to an improved understanding of the consistency of parenting constructs between two children in the same family and the relation between parenting stress and parenting style. These findings also raise questions for future research with respect to mind-mindedness in very young children. Future research areas and implications are discussed. / Graduate

Objective: To explore 'Maternal Perception of Compliance in Adolescents Model.' The purpose of the model is to explore interrelated factors outside adolescents' agency, but which contribute to maternal perception of severity of compliance in adolescents. This model was originated from reflections on the practice of psychology. Methodology: This inquiry began with pilot studies consisting of a focus group with four parents and an interview. The pilot assisted the fine-tuning the instrument, addressing ethical concerns, forming analytical strategies and gathering a priori themes for the analysis of data from the thesis. The thesis is a qualitative inquiry, data was collected through interviews and utilised a 'maximum variation sampling' of ethnicity (Asian, White, and Black) with socioeconomic status (SES) (low, medium, and high), to recruit six mothers who had adolescent children. Analysis: There was a hybrid approach to the thematic analysis: a) in 'confirmatory analysis,' a priori themes were deductively confirmed and b) in 'exploratory analysis,' new emergent themes were inductively identified. In the first part of the analysis each participant's data was individually analysed, using the hybrid method, to explore the factors that contributed to the model. The second part of the analysis was a 'cross-case analysis,' in which factors identified as contributing to the model, in the first part of the analysis were consolidated to further explore the model. Results: Various types of knowledge (self-reflective, observational, academic, transgenerational, maternal), notions of an ideal child, expectations, style of parenting, style of attribution, maternal anxiety, SES, and single-motherhood were identified as having an effect on the model. In terms of exploration of the model: a) The expectations were largely affected by maternal ideals and standards about adolescents. b) These ideals and standards were derived from their previously acquired knowledge. c) Mothers used the resources at their disposal based on their SES and authoritative parenting style to nurture the child toward their notion of an ideal child. d) The maternal anxiety/single mother/permissive parenting style and some types of knowledge affected the expectation of degree of compliance. e) Mothers often rationalised or justified children's noncompliance through a system called the 'mediating mechanism.' f) Some types of knowledge, mixed parenting style, and external attribution were involved in the 'mediating mechanism.' g) Maternal perception of the extent of adolescents' compliance was based on their degree of expectation of compliance, i.e. the more divergence between the expectations and perception of compliance, the more severe or problematic the perception of compliance. h) Maternal views on compliance varied between mothers, based on their parenting styles. Conclusions: Maternal perception of severity of compliance is not entirely based on children's actual behaviour; rather it is influenced by number of factors that are outside the children's agency. The model, which illustrates how maternal perception of severity of compliance is formed, could have a significant impact on diagnosis and treatment options for compliance related disorders. The subjective diagnostic criteria for evaluating compliance in the DSM-5, augment this complexity in diagnosis and treatment. A larger scale replication of the study is warranted to elicit generalisation.