Abstract
Drawing on self-determination theory, family stress theory, and the social determinants of health framework, the current study sought to evaluate direct and indirect relationships among socioeconomic status (maternal education and income), parenting stress, autonomy supportive parenting behavior, and children’s positive outcomes (e.g., social competences, academic skills, and persistence) using a racially diverse sample from low-income backgrounds. Using data on 2233 children collected at birth (T1), age 5 (T2) and age 9 (T3) as part of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, a structural equation model was tested in MPlus. Associations among main constructs were tested in a single structural model and mediation effects were subsequently evaluated using a bias-corrected bootstrap method. Autonomy supportive parenting was directly and positively associated with all three positive outcomes evaluated in children (e.g., social competences, academic skills, and persistence). Maternal education at child’s birth was directly related to autonomy supportive parenting, and maternal income at birth was indirectly associated with autonomy supportive parenting through the mediating mechanism of maternal parenting stress. Autonomy supportive parenting was also found to mediate associations between parenting stress and children’s social competences, academic skills, and persistence. Parenting education and intervention programs that focus on teaching parents how to avoid or manage stress and be autonomy supportive may benefit children’s positive development. It is also important, however, for policy makers, educators, and practitioners who work with parents to recognize the impact of socioeconomic constraints that may impact parenting behaviors and choices.
Highlights
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Evaluates longitudinal parenting and positive child outcomes among fragile families.
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Income, education, and stress function as antecedents of maternal autonomy support.
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Maternal autonomy support is associated with child social and academic success.
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Acknowledgements
The data set used in the current study were from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01HD36916, R01HD39135, and R01HD40421, as well as a consortium of private foundations. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Su-Russell, C., Russell, L.T. Maternal Autonomy Support and Children’s Social Competencies, Academic Skills, and Persistence: Social Determinants and Mediation. J Child Fam Stud 30, 757–770 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01869-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01869-0