The Impact of Parental Variables on Child Behavior at Home and in the Daycare Classroom

The current study was designed examine the relationships among parental variables and child behavior in different settings and to test four path analytic models of children's internalizing and externalizing behavior as reported by both parents and primary daycare teachers. Participants were 104 intact couples with children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years. Mothers and fathers independently completed a packet of questionnaires including measures of masculinity ideology, parenting beliefs, work stress, work-family conflict, marital conflict, child behavior, as well as a demographic questionnaire. Correlations among parent and child variables were calculated. Moderate relationships between maternal and paternal variables were found indicating that partners often influence their spouse and they have similar beliefs and practices regarding parenting. Maternal employment factors also were found to be related to parenting stress and work-family conflict. Mothers who worked more experienced more work-family conflict and thus spent less time caring for the child. Maternal reports of paternal competence influenced maternal masculinity ideology; such that, the more competent she thought her husband was as a father, the less traditional her views of masculinity. Maternal masculinity ideology was associated with maternal beliefs about parenting. These beliefs impacted both maternal and paternal parenting stress. Direct relationships with children's internalizing and externalizing behavior were also found. Maternal work-family conflict impacted both internalizing and externalizing behavior as reported by the parents. Both maternal and paternal parenting stress was related to children's behavior. The model of teachers' reports of children's internalizing behavior shows similar relationships between employment factors and parenting stress. In addition to these variables, paternal nurturing directly affected the child's internalizing behavior. The model for teacher reports of externalizing behavior included paternal nurturing, maternal responsiveness, and maternal reports of paternal competence as having a direct impact on child behavior. Although, fathers' are often overlooked in developmental research, the present study found that paternal variables do impact children's behavior, through their indirect relationship with maternal variables. Paternal parenting stress also was found to impact child behavior directly. Further research is needed to confirm and expand these important links to child behavior.