Date of Award
Fall 12-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Psychology
Department
Psychology
Major Professor
Laura Scaramella
Second Advisor
Carl Weems
Third Advisor
Monica Marsee
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.
Recommended Citation
Sapotichne, Brenna, "Evaluating the Role of Environmental Stressors and Sensitive Parenting on the Emergence of Behavior Problems during Early Childhood" (2012). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1560.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1560
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.