Correlates and Predictors of Parenting and Problem Behaviors in Young Children of African American Adolescent Mothers

This investigation focused on the application of a modified version of McLoyd's (1990, 1998) model of the effects of poverty on children's developmental outcomes. Associations between maternal psychological and support variables, parenting, and child temperament and their relations to child outcomes were examined in a sample of fifty-four low-income African American adolescent mothers pregnant with their first child. Mothers participated in a structured interview during the prenatal period and again six years later. Maternal parenting efficacy and mother's reports of child negative affect and child effortful control predicted negative parenting. Lower maternal efficacy predicted maternal physical aggression. Mother's reports of child negative affect were a significant predictor of internalizing, externalizing, and total child behavior problems. The effect of maternal efficacy on child internalizing was mediated by maternal verbal and physical aggression. Negative prenatal temperament expectations were correlated with child negative affect, externalizing behavior and total behavior problems and were a significant predictor of maternal efficacy at Time 2. Maternal prenatal depression predicted children's internalizing. Implications for intervention and future directions for research are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Clinical/Community Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Warren, Lisa Zepeda

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mangelsdorf, Sarah C.

• Psychology, Clinical

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3131048

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/82058