Repeatedly, parenting quality has been shown to affect children’s level of behavior problems during early childhood (e.g., Bayer, Sanson, & Hemphill, 2006; Shaw, Gilliom, Ingoldsby, & Nagin, 2003). However, the parent-child relationship exists within a broader social context (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). Therefore, social contextual stressors such as financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding may affect children’s adjustment through parenting. Based on The Family Stress model (Conger & Elder, 1994), the current study tests the theory that sensitive parenting mediates the relationship between these three environmental stressors (i.e., financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding) and children’s behavior problems from ages 2 to 4 years. Results did not support this hypothesis. Though, alternative analyses provided some support for interactive effects of sensitive parenting and neighborhood danger on children’s externalizing problems. When families experienced less neighborhood danger, sensitive parenting was associated with less externalizing problems.
","abstract_html":"<p>Repeatedly, parenting quality has been shown to affect children’s level of behavior problems during early childhood (e.g., Bayer, Sanson, & Hemphill, 2006; Shaw, Gilliom, Ingoldsby, & Nagin, 2003). However, the parent-child relationship exists within a broader social context (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). Therefore, social contextual stressors such as financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding may affect children’s adjustment through parenting. Based on The Family Stress model (Conger & Elder, 1994), the current study tests the theory that sensitive parenting mediates the relationship between these three environmental stressors (i.e., financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding) and children’s behavior problems from ages 2 to 4 years. Results did not support this hypothesis. Though, alternative analyses provided some support for interactive effects of sensitive parenting and neighborhood danger on children’s externalizing problems. When families experienced less neighborhood danger, sensitive parenting was associated with less externalizing problems.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sapotichne, Brenna"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Laura Scaramella","Carl Weems","Monica Marsee"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-12-15T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-12-15T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:29:47Z","subjects":["behavior problems","sensitive parenting","social contextual stressors","early childhood","Developmental Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1560","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Laura Scaramella","Carl Weems","Monica Marsee"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Sapotichne, Brenna"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["behavior problems","sensitive parenting","social contextual stressors","early childhood","Developmental Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1560"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Repeatedly, parenting quality has been shown to affect children’s level of behavior problems during early childhood (e.g., Bayer, Sanson, & Hemphill, 2006; Shaw, Gilliom, Ingoldsby, & Nagin, 2003). However, the parent-child relationship exists within a broader social context (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). Therefore, social contextual stressors such as financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding may affect children’s adjustment through parenting. Based on The Family Stress model (Conger & Elder, 1994), the current study tests the theory that sensitive parenting mediates the relationship between these three environmental stressors (i.e., financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding) and children’s behavior problems from ages 2 to 4 years. Results did not support this hypothesis. Though, alternative analyses provided some support for interactive effects of sensitive parenting and neighborhood danger on children’s externalizing problems. When families experienced less neighborhood danger, sensitive parenting was associated with less externalizing problems.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Evaluating the Role of Environmental Stressors and Sensitive Parenting on the Emergence of Behavior Problems during Early Childhood"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Laura Scaramella","Carl Weems","Monica Marsee"],"dc:creator":["Sapotichne, Brenna"],"dc:description.abstract":["Repeatedly, parenting quality has been shown to affect children’s level of behavior problems during early childhood (e.g., Bayer, Sanson, & Hemphill, 2006; Shaw, Gilliom, Ingoldsby, & Nagin, 2003). However, the parent-child relationship exists within a broader social context (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). Therefore, social contextual stressors such as financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding may affect children’s adjustment through parenting. Based on The Family Stress model (Conger & Elder, 1994), the current study tests the theory that sensitive parenting mediates the relationship between these three environmental stressors (i.e., financial strain, neighborhood danger, and residential overcrowding) and children’s behavior problems from ages 2 to 4 years. Results did not support this hypothesis. Though, alternative analyses provided some support for interactive effects of sensitive parenting and neighborhood danger on children’s externalizing problems. When families experienced less neighborhood danger, sensitive parenting was associated with less externalizing problems.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1560"],"dc:subject":["behavior problems","sensitive parenting","social contextual stressors","early childhood","Developmental Psychology"],"dc:title":["Evaluating the Role of Environmental Stressors and Sensitive Parenting on the Emergence of Behavior Problems during Early Childhood"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:29:47Z"}