Parenting self-efficacy as an antecedent and response to child socioemotional adjustment

The present study examines the interplay between perceptions of child behaviour and parenting self-efficacy during the early childhood years. Participants were 817 mothers (M = 37.5 years old) drawn from communities across Denmark with children (410 girls, 407 boys) in kindergarten (M = 69.6 months old) or first grade (M = 81.6 months old) at the outset. Twice, approximately 6–8 months apart, mothers completed surveys describing parenting self-efficacy and child conduct problems, child emotional problems, and child prosocial behaviour. Results from longitudinal path analyses revealed child-driven effects, such that (a) greater initial parent-perceived child emotional problems (but not parent-perceived conduct problems) anticipated subsequent decreases in parenting self-efficacy and (b) greater initial parent-perceived child prosocial behaviour anticipated subsequent increases in parenting self-efficacy. Parent-driven effects also emerged, such that lower initial parenting self-efficacy anticipated subsequent increases in parent-perceived child conduct problems and emotional problems.