(PS11-B33) Investigating the Differential Effects of Specific Adaptive and Disruptive Child Behaviors on Parenting Behaviors

Children with disruptive behavior problems are highly stressful for parents to manage. As a result, parents of children with disruptive behaviors tend to use fewer positive parenting behaviors (e.g., labeled praise) and more negative parenting behaviors (e.g., harsh criticism) compared to parents raising typical children. However, there is a dearth of research examining whether specific adaptive (e.g., compliance) or disruptive (e.g., defiance) child behaviors are differentially associated with specific positive and negative parenting behaviors, as well as whether results of parent-child dyad research are generalizable for triadic interactions. Given that 69% of children live in two-parent households, it is crucial to improve our understanding of how child behaviors impact parent behaviors in triadic settings. Doing so could further inform behavioral parent training interventions, especially for mothers and fathers in co-parenting situations, which may improve outcomes for families of children with disruptive behavior. The current study aims to address these gaps by examining the degree to which adaptive and disruptive child behaviors elicit specific positive and negative parenting behaviors in the context of mother-father-child triads.

Ninety parent couples were randomly assigned to interact with a 9- to 12-year-old confederate child exhibiting either typical or disruptive behavior. Observers trained to reliability coded specific sequences of adaptive or disruptive child behaviors followed immediately by positive or negative parenting behaviors.

We found that elevated levels of parent labeled praise were more strongly predicted by increased levels of child compliance than increased levels of child prosocial behaviors. Further, greater parent direct commands were more strongly predicted by higher child inattention and ODD behaviors than hyperactivity/impulsivity. Finally, elevated levels of parent negative talk were more strongly predicted by increased levels of child hyperactivity/impulsivity and ODD behaviors than inattention.

Our findings extend the current literature by demonstrating that specific adaptive and disruptive child behaviors elicit specific positive and negative parenting behaviors during triadic interactions. If replicated, these results suggest the potential value of tailoring behavioral parent training interventions for youth with disruptive behavior problems to heighten parent awareness of common adverse parent responses to challenging child behavior. For example, parents may benefit from problem-solving exercises focused on generating alternative responses to disruptive child behaviors other than negative talk, particularly following child ODD behavior and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Identifying alternatives to negative talk may help parents avoid reinforcing coercive processes with their child, which may spur improved outcomes for both parents and children. Future research could seek to identify parents most at risk for these adverse responses to disruptive child behavior (e.g., parents with low self-efficacy, high ADHD symptoms, or high depressive symptoms), which may help identify populations of parents who stand to benefit most from targeted intervention.