Buffering the Negative Effects of Maternal Alcohol Problems on Child Behavior

Our objective was to examine how mothers' warmth can protect children from the negative effects of maternal alcohol problems on children's externalizing behavior and, alternately, how harsh parenting can exacerbate the problem. We used data from 1,563 families eligible for Early Head Start...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family psychology 2015-08, Vol.29 (4), p.576-584
Main Authors: Conners-Burrow, Nicola A., McKelvey, Lorraine M., Pemberton, Joy R., Mesman, Glenn R., Holmes, Khiela J., Bradley, Robert H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aggression - psychology
Aggressive Behavior
Aggressiveness
Alcohol
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol Use
Alcohol-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Alcohol-Related Disorders - psychology
Behavior Problems
Child
Child Behavior - psychology
Child Behavior Disorders - epidemiology
Child Behavior Disorders - psychology
Child of Impaired Parents - psychology
Child of Impaired Parents - statistics & numerical data
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Children of Alcoholics
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Human
Humans
Male
Mother Child Relations
Mothers
Mothers - psychology
Parenting
Parenting - psychology
Parenting Style
Parents & parenting
Young Adult
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Summary:Our objective was to examine how mothers' warmth can protect children from the negative effects of maternal alcohol problems on children's externalizing behavior and, alternately, how harsh parenting can exacerbate the problem. We used data from 1,563 families eligible for Early Head Start and assessed when children were age 5 and again at age 11. We examined whether mothers' warmth or harsh parenting at age 5 moderated the effect of maternal alcohol problems on children's behavior problems at age 11. Results indicated that mothers' symptoms of alcohol problems when children were age 5 predicted greater externalizing behavior problems (aggression and rule breaking) when children were age 11. Aggression and rule-breaking behaviors, externalizing behaviors commonly associated with maternal alcohol problems, were lessened when mothers were warm and did not engage in harsh parenting techniques. Our findings highlight the importance of positive parenting techniques in high-risk families.
ISSN:0893-3200
1939-1293
DOI:10.1037/fam0000121