This research provides a quantitative analysis of data collected by the MRC funded 'Twins Early Development Study - Environment' also known as the E-Risk study. The E-Risk study is a national sample of 1116 families with twin children who were born in 1994-95. The families were home-visited in 1999-2000 when the children were 5 years old. Using a multi-disciplinary approach the research aims to build knowledge about risk factors and protective factors for childhood antisocial behaviour. Our analysis is fourfold. First, we examine how far distinct measures of parenting behaviour and maternal attitude impact on child antisocial behavioural outcomes. We define parenting behaviour as parental discipline, and measure it by our variable frequency of smacking. Maternal attitude is measured by four variables which assess maternal expressed emotion: maternal warmth, maternal positive comments, maternal negative comments and maternal negativity. Parenting behaviour and maternal attitude are examined from a 'between' family perspective. Second, we extend our analysis beyond the parent-child dyad and examine how far the wider context within which the child develops (Bronfenbrenner 1979), for example, family structure, marital conflict, poverty, and parental antisocial behaviour, impact on child antisocial behaviour outcomes. Third, we introduce our statistically significant parenting and contextual variables into a model to identify some of the key risk factors for antisocial behaviour in children aged 5 years old. Frequency of Smacking relates to both parents smacking of children, whilst maternal attitude measures the mother's attitude only. Lastly, we examine how far our four contextual factors impact on parenting practices. We continue by examining to what extent parenting behaviour and maternal attitude mediates the effect of these contextual factors on child antisocial behaviour at age 5 years old. Our research utilises the E-Risk sampling frame which oversampled younger mothers and we examine the results in terms of a weighted sample which is representative of all mothers and is referred to as 'all' mothers, a younger mother sample and an older mother sample.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:645681 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Morgan, Julia |
| Publisher | London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2932/ |
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