Interparent Childrearing Disagreement, but not Dissimilarity, Predicts Child Problems after Controlling for Parenting Effectiveness

Abstract

Parental differences regarding childrearing may be operationalized as actual dissimilarity in the parenting actions or goals of the parents, or as perceived conflict or disagreement related to these dissimilarities. This study tested whether these two types of parental differences are each associated with child problems, independent of the contributions of parenting effectiveness. A community sample of 160 couples with a firstborn child (ages 2–5 years) participated. Mothers and fathers independently completed measures of childrearing disagreement, parenting behaviors and goals, and child behavior. Interparent childrearing disagreement accounted for unique variance in child internalizing and externalizing problems, even after controlling for family income, marital satisfaction, and parenting effectiveness. Dissimilarity in mother and father parenting behaviors (but not goals) was associated with child problems at the bivariate level, but not after controlling for parenting effectiveness.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the BC Mental Health Foundation—CIHR INMHA doctoral research award and the Human Early Learning Partnership thesis funding granted to the first author. We thank the families who participated in this study, and Ashley Caringi and Randall Gillis for their assistance with data collection.

Notes

^a N = 160.

^b n = 84.

^c n = 76.

¹Composite scores reflecting both mothers’ and fathers’ views have the advantage of offering some control over monoinformant bias and provide a comprehensive assessment of the construct. Analyses conducted using single informant (e.g., mothers’ scores are both predictors and outcomes) and cross informant (e.g., mothers’ scores predicting fathers’ ratings of child behavior) approaches revealed a pattern of results that was very similar to that obtained with the composite scores.

Note: ICC = intraclass correlations; CRD = Childrearing Disagreement Scale; PPS = Parenting Practices Scale; DAS = Dyadic Adjustment Scale; CBCL Ext. = Child Behavior Checklist Externalizing Scale; CBCL Int. = Child Behavior Checklist Internalizing Scale; PDS IM = Paulhus Deception Scales – Impression Management Scale.

Note: ICC = intraclass correlations; M-F CRD = average of mother and father scores on the Childrearing Disagreement Scale; M-F PPS = average of mother and father scores on the Parenting Practices Scale; M-F DAS = average of mother and father scores on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale; M-F CBCL Ext. = average of mother and father scores on the Child Behavior Checklist Externalizing Scale; M-F CBCL Int. = average of mother and father scores on the Child Behavior Checklist Internalizing Scale.

*Significant at p < .05. **Significant at p < .01.

Note: M-F DAS = average of mother and father scores on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale; PDS IM = Paulhus Deception Scales–Impression Management Scale; M-F PPS = average of mother and father scores on the Parenting Practices Scale; M-F CRD = average of mother and father scores on the Childrearing Disagreement Scale. ICC = intraclass correlations.

^a R ² = .11, F(5, 153) = 3.73, p = .003.

^b R ² _change = .16, F(1, 152) = 33.21, p < .001.

^c R ² _change = .12, F(3, 149) = 9.25, p < .001.

Note: M-F DAS = average of mother and father scores on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale; PDS IM = Paulhus Deception Scales – Impression Management Scale; M-F PPS = average of mother and father scores on the Parenting Practices Scale; M-F CRD = average of mother and father scores on the Childrearing Disagreement Scale. ICC = intraclass correlations.

^a R ² = .05, F(5, 153) = 1.44, p = .21.

^b R ² _change = .09, F(1, 152) = 14.82, p < .001.

^c R ² _change = .05, F(3, 149) = 3.20, p = .025.