Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Facets of Adult Social Competence as Predictors of Parenting Style

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A wealth of research suggests that parenting style influences the social development of children. Similarly, it seems reasonable that the environments parents create for their children will be predicted by their social competencies. There is limited research examining what facets of adult social competence predict parenting style. The present study contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between multiple facets of adult social competence and overall quality of parenting style as assessed by parents. Four-hundred parents completed self-report measures evaluating their parenting style and seven facets of their social competence including: emotional intelligence, assertion, conflict management, empathy, agency, communion, and social support. Stepwise regression was used to examine the additional contribution made to the prediction of parenting style quality after first accounting for parent and child sexes and ages, and frequency of child misbehavior. Results suggest that the aforementioned facets of social competence can account for approximately 25 % of the variance beyond control factors. Further research is needed to examine whether enhancing facets of adult social competence can improve how parents engage with their children.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen, P., & Telleen, S. (1992). The relationship between social support and maternal behaviors and attitudes: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 753–774. doi:10.1007/BF01312606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, M. I., Birnie-Lefcovitch, S., & Ungar, M. T. (2005). Pathways between social support, family, wellbeing, quality of parenting, and child resilience: What we know. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14, 269–281. doi:10.1007/s10826-005-5054-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1991). The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance use. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 11, 56–95. doi:10.1177/0272431691111004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (2013). Authoritative parenting revisited: History and current status. In R. E. Larzelere, A. Sheffield Morris, & A. W. Harrist (Eds.), Authoritative parenting: Synthesizing nurturance and discipline for optimal child development (pp. 11–34). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1990). Parental and nonparental child care and children’s socioemotional development: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 885–903. doi:10.2307/353308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buhrmester, D., Furman, W., Wittenberg, M. T., & Reis, H. T. (1988). Five domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 991–1008. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.55.6.991.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cannon, E. A., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Brown, G. L., & Szewczyk Sokolowski, M. (2008). Parent characteristics as antecedents of maternal gatekeeping and fathering behavior. Family Process, 47, 501–519. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2008.00268.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, S. (1976). Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38, 301–314. Retrieved from http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/

  • Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, N. L., & Read, S. J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644–663. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.58.4.644.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, G. D., & Walker, R. R. (1991). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support: A confirmation study. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47, 756–761. doi:10.1002/1097-4679(199111)47:6<756:AID-JCLP2270470605>3.0.CO;2-L.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darling, N., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting styles as context: An integrative model. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 487–496. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.113.3.487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Paul, J., Perez-Albeniz, A., Guibert, M., Asla, N., & Ormaechea, A. (2008). Dispositional empathy in neglectful mothers and mothers at high risk of physical abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23, 670–684. doi:10.1177/0886260507313532.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. R., & Ryan, R. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Del Barrio, V., Aluja, A., & Garcia, L. F. (2004). Relationship between empathy and the big five personality traits in a sample of Spanish adolescents. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 32, 677–682. doi:10.2224/sbp.2004.32.7.677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Egeli, N. A., Rogers, W. T., Rinaldi, C., & Cui, Y. (2015). Exploring the factor structure of the revised-parent as a social context questionnaire. Parenting: Science and Practice, 15, 269–287. doi:10.1080/15295192.2015.1053334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, S. L., Prinz, R. J., & O’Leary, K. D. (1983). Impact of problem-solving communication training and generalization procedures of family conflict. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 5, 1–23. doi:10.1300/J019v05n01_01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, R. A., Platz, D. L., & Bentley, K. S. (1995). Maternal factors related to parenting practices, developmental expectations, and perceptions of child behavior problems. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 156, 431–441. doi:10.1080/00221325.1995.9914835.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grolnick, W. S., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1997). Internalization within the family: The self-determination theory perspective. In Joan E. Grusec & Leon Kuczynski (Eds.), Parenting and children’s internalization of values: A handbook of contemporary theory (pp. 135–161). New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, Z. L., & Landreth, G. L. (1997). Filial therapy with incarcerated mothers: A five week model. International Journal of Play Therapy, 6, 53–73. doi:10.1037/h0089408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helgeson, V. S. (1994). Relation of agency and communion to well-being: Evidence and potential explanations. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 412–428. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.116.3.412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helgeson, V. S., & Palladino, D. K. (2012). Agentic and communal traits and health: Adolescents with and without diabetes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 415–428. doi:10.1177/0146167211427149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, K., & Maxwell, S. E. (2010). Multiple regression. In G. R. Hancock & R. O. Mueller (Eds.), The reviewer’s guide to quantitative methods in the social sciences (pp. 281–289). New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lytton, H., & Romney, D. M. (1991). Parents’ differential socialization of boys and girls: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 267–296. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.109.2.267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehrabian, A., & Epstein, N. (1972). A measure of emotional empathy. Journal of Personality, 40, 525–543. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-6494

  • Osborne, J. W., & Waters, E. (2002). Four assumptions of multiple regression that researchers should always test. Practical Assessment Research & Evaluation, 8(2). Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?n=2&v=8

  • Paleari, F. G., Regalia, C., & Fincham, F. (2005). Marital quality, forgiveness, empathy, and rumination: A longitudinal analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 368–378. doi:10.1177/0146167204271597.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perez-Albeniz, A., & de Paul, J. (2003). Dispositional empathy in high-and low-risk parents for child physical abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27, 769–780. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(03)00111-X.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, D. R., Hammock, G. S., Smith, S. M., Gardner, W., & Signo, M. (1994). Empathy as a cognitive inhibitor of interpersonal aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 20, 275–289. doi:10.1002/1098-2337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose-Krasnor, L. (1997). The nature of social competence: A theoretical review. Social Development, 6, 111–135. doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00029.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosen, L. D., Cheever, N. A., & Carrier, L. M. (2008). The association of parenting style and child age with parental limit setting and adolescent MySpace behavior. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 459–471. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2008.07.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1989). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 9(3), 185–211. doi:10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Bobik, C., Coston, T. D., Greenson, C., Jedlicka, C., et al. (2001). Emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. The Journal of Social Psychology, 141, 523–536. doi:10.1080/00224540109600569.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J., & Dornheim, L. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 167–177. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(98)00001-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shanahan, L., McHale, S. M., Crouter, A. C., & Osgood, D. W. (2007). Warmth with mothers and fathers from middle childhood to late adolescence: Within- and between-families comparisons. Developmental Psychology, 43, 551–563. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.43.3.551.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaver, P. R., Papalia, D., Clark, C. L., Koski, L. R., Tidewell, M. C., & Nalbone, D. (1996). Androgyny and attachment security: Two related models of optimal personality. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 582–597. doi:10.1177/0146167296226004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, E., Johnson, S., & Snyder, T. (2005). Six dimensions of parenting: A motivational model. Parenting: Science and Practice, 5, 175–235. doi:10.1207/s15327922par0502_3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smetana, J., Crean, H. F., & Campione-Barr, N. (2005). Adolescents’ and parents’ changing conceptions of parental authority. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2005, 31–46. doi:10.1002/cd.126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spreng, R. N., McKinnon, M. C., Mar, R. A., & Levine, B. (2009). The Toronto empathy questionnaire: Scale development and initial validation of a factor-analytic solution to multiple empathy measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91, 62–71. doi:10.1080/00223890802484381.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., Mounts, N. S., Lamborn, S. D., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1991). Authoritative parenting and adolescent adjustment across varied ecological niches. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 1, 19–36. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1992-38819-001

  • Turner, R. J., & Avison, W. R. (1985). Assessing risk factors for problem parenting: The significance of social support. Journal of Marriage and Family, 47, 881–892. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/352331

  • Wiehe, V. R. (1987). Empathy and locus of control. Journal of Social Service Research, 9, 17–30. doi:10.1300/J079v09n02_02.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 30–41. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, 6-102 Education North, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G5, Canada

    Natasha Ann Egeli & Christina M. Rinaldi

Authors
  1. Natasha Ann Egeli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christina M. Rinaldi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Natasha Ann Egeli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Egeli, N.A., Rinaldi, C.M. Facets of Adult Social Competence as Predictors of Parenting Style. J Child Fam Stud 25, 3430–3439 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0484-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0484-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation