The present study investigated the direct and interactional effects of neighborhood disadvantage and harsh parenting on concurrent assessments and change in externalizing and internalizing behavior in toddlerhood. The study included 55 mothers and their children; families completed in-home assessments when children were 2 and 3 years of age. Mothers' reports were used to measure neighborhood disadvantage and children's problem behaviors. Observer ratings derived from a clean up task were used to measure harsh parenting. Four hierarchical regression equations were computed to test each study hypothesis. Results indicated marginally significant effects of harsh parenting on externalizing problems at age 2. Surprisingly, harsh parenting and exposure to neighborhood risk did not significantly predict increases in externalizing behavior problems from age 2 to 3. Harsh parenting was marginally related to children's internalizing problems under conditions of high levels of neighborhood disadvantage and predicted increases in internalizing over time. The theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

Thesis advisor: Penny Hauser-Cram / Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) face greater caregiving demands than other parents, which may lead to heightened levels of stress. The problematic behavior and functional limitations of the child with DD have been found to contribute to parenting stress (Baker et al., 2002; Beckman, 1991). Despite heightened demands, many parents successfully adapt to raising a child with DD. A goal of recent research has been to identify resources and supports that explain the considerable variability in parental adjustment (Neece & Baker, 2008). This dissertation examined trajectories of parenting stress among mothers (N=147) and fathers (N=110) of children with diverse developmental disabilities, from their child's early years (age 3) through adolescence (age 15). Using hierarchical linear modeling, stress was found to increase from early to middle childhood and subsequently decrease from middle childhood to adolescence. Characteristics of the child with DD were found to contribute to parents' stress, with higher behavior problems and lower functional skills predicting greater stress. Parent resources and supports were also found to relate to parenting stress. Greater social support, use of adaptive coping strategies, and more positive perceptions of the family climate predicted lower stress. An additional model was conducted using a modified hierarchical linear modeling approach to examine the role of child stressors and family resources and supports within parenting dyads. The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature on patterns of change in stress among parents, particularly fathers, of children with DD. Following these results, interventions for families of children with DD should aim to reduce child-related stressors and promote parent resources and supports. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

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Orientador: Olga Maria Piazentin Rolim Rodrigues / Resumo: O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi descrever, comparar e correlacionar, de famílias nucleares e não nucleares, as práticas educativas parentais, a saúde emocional materna e problemas de comportamento das crianças. Quatro estudos foram realizados, a partir do relato de múltiplos informantes: 62 mães, 25 professoras e 62 crianças com faixa etária entre oito e 11 anos. Os instrumentos foram: Inventário de Estilos Parentais, Inventário de Depressão Beck, Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado, Escala de Estresse Percebido, Questionário de Capacidades e Dificuldades e entrevista sobre dados sociodemográficos. O Estudo 1 analisou problemas de comportamento de crianças de famílias nucleares e não nucleares sob o ponto de vista de mães e professores. Os resultados apontaram que ambas informantes observaram comportamentos pró-sociais nas crianças, independente do grupo. Mães dos dois grupos perceberam de forma semelhante os problemas de comportamento dos filhos e, mais do que os professores e estes relataram significativamente mais problemas de comportamento das crianças do grupo não-nuclear. O Estudo 2 descreveu e comparou práticas educativas de mães de famílias não-nucleares e não nucleares associando-a a saúde emocional materna. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria das mães da amostra total foi classificada com estilo parental de risco, sem diferença significativa entre os grupos. As mães de famílias não nucleares utilizaram significativamente mais a prática de Abuso Físico. Quanto... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The general objective of this study was to describe, compare and correlate, of nuclear and non-nuclear families, parental educational practices, maternal emotional health and behavior problems of children. Four studies were conducted based on the report of multiple informants: 62 mothers, 25 teachers and 62 children aged between eight and 11 years old. The instruments were: Parental Styles Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Dash-State Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Capabilities and Difficulties Questionnaire and interview about sociodemographic data. The search 1 analyzed child behavior problems from nuclear and non-nuclear families from the point of view of mothers and teachers. The results showed that both informants observed prosocial behaviors in the children, regardless of the group. Mothers from both groups perceived similarly the behavior problems of their children and, more than teachers and these reported significantly more behavioral problems of children in the non-nuclear group. The search 2 described and compared educational practices of mothers from nuclear and non-nuclear families associating her with maternal emotional health. The results showed that the majority of mothers in the total sample were classified as at risk parental style, without significant difference between the groups. The Mothers from non-nuclear families used the practice of Physical Abuse significantly more. Regarding maternal emotional health, it is noteworthy that stress and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor