From parenting self‐efficacy to child externalizing problems: The role of perceived parent stress and practices

Abstract Objective This preliminary study proposed and tested the plausibility of a model in which the relationship between parenting self‐efficacy (PSE) and children's externalizing problems is serially mediated by perceived parent stress (PPS) and inconsistent discipline. Method The participants were Romanian parents ( N = 749) of children and adolescents (4–17 years old), who filled in the assessments online. Data collection took place between December 2020 and June 2021 when the schools had moved mostly online due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. The models were tested via structural equation modeling, and the analyses were conducted in RStudio. Results The main findings are that the relationship between PSE and the externalizing problems of children are serially mediated by PPS and inconsistent discipline. Furthermore, the direct paths to externalizing problems were all significant. PSE, PPS, and inconsistent discipline explained a large percentage of variance in the externalizing problems (i.e., R 2 = .45). Path coefficients were estimated controlling for the possible confounding effect of demographic variables such as age of children and parents, parents' income, parents' education level, and number of children. Implications The findings enhance our understanding of the dynamics between parenting variables and children's externalizing problems, addressing a gap in the literature. They also emphasize the importance of targeting multiple parenting variables, such as PSE and inconsistent discipline, to optimize parenting intervention outcomes in reducing externalizing problems. Conclusion Our findings support the role of PPSs and inconsistent discipline as potential mechanisms linking PSE and child externalizing problems.