Social Skills and Behavior Problems of Urban, African American Preschoolers: Role of Parenting Practices, Family Conflict, and Maternal Depression

• Published in: American journal of orthopsychiatry 2006-10, Vol.76 (4), p.554-563
• Main Authors: Koblinsky, Sally A, Kuvalanka, Katherine A, Randolph, Suzanne M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; African‐American; Behavior disorders; Behavior Problems; Behavioural psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Black American people; Black or African American; Black People; Black People - psychology; Black People - statistics & numerical data; Child Behavior Disorders - diagnosis; Child Behavior Disorders - epidemiology; Child Behavior Disorders - psychology; Child Behavior Disorders - therapy; child behavior problems; Child clinical studies; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Child, Preschool; Childrearing Practices; Children; Conflict, Psychological; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Depressive Disorder - therapy; Early Intervention, Educational; Family Conflict; Family environment. Family history; Family Relations; Family studies; Female; Human; Humans; Interview, Psychological; Major Depression; Male; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Mental health; Miscellaneous; Motherhood; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Parent-child relations; Parental Characteristics; Parenting; Parents; Parents & parenting; Preschool Children; Preschool Students; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychosocial Development; Social Behavior; Social Competence; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Social psychology; Social Skills; Socialization; Society; Statistics as Topic; Studies; Urban Environments; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0002-9432; 1939-0025
• DOI: 10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.554

This study examined the role of parenting, family routines, family conflict, and maternal depression in predicting the social skills and behavior problems of low-income African American preschoolers. A sample of 184 African American mothers of Head Start children completed participant and child measures in a structured interview. Results of regression analyses revealed that mothers who utilized more positive parenting practices and engaged in more family routines had children who displayed higher levels of total prosocial skills. Positive parenting and lower levels of maternal depressive symptoms were predictive of fewer externalizing and internalizing child behavior problems. Lower family conflict was linked with fewer externalizing problems. Implications of the study for future research and intervention are discussed.