Klein Michal, Levy Tomer, Shulman Cory, Lwow Etan, Silberg Tamar
School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Behavior Regulation Service, Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Front Psychol. 2024 Aug 12;15:1387944. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1387944. eCollection 2024.
Externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) are common in children, with significant long-term impact on the child and family members. Parents, particularly mothers, of children with EBPs often experience heightened emotional distress. One crucial factor affecting parents' ability to manage this distress is their level of differentiation-of-self (DOS). Differentiated parents are more likely to engage in practices that meet their child's psychological needs, thus supporting the self-determination theory principles vital for a child's well-being. This study examined the impact of parental DOS on parenting practices and subsequently on the child's EBPs, exploring possible differences between mothers and fathers.
Thirty-two mother-father dyads with children aged 6-14, diagnosed with EBPs participated. Parents completed the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Short Form, the Revised Parents as a Social Context Questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess parental DOS, practices, and child's EBPs, respectively. Adjusted parallel mediation models examined the mediating role of parental practices in the relationship between parental DOS and a child's EBPs.
While no direct link between parental DOS and child's symptoms was found, a complete mediation model indicated need-frustrating practices mediating between parental DOS and a child's EBPs, for both mothers and fathers. Additionally, fathers' need-supportive practices, but not mothers', were negatively associated with the child's symptoms.
These findings highlight the interaction between parental traits, need-frustrating practices, and a child's psychopathology. Notably, fathers' supportive behaviors emerged as potential protective factors against child's EBPs, suggesting promising directions for future research and interventions targeting fathers.
外化行为问题（EBPs）在儿童中很常见，对儿童及其家庭成员有重大的长期影响。患有EBPs的儿童的父母，尤其是母亲，往往会经历更大的情绪困扰。影响父母应对这种困扰能力的一个关键因素是他们的自我分化水平（DOS）。自我分化程度高的父母更有可能采取满足孩子心理需求的做法，从而支持对孩子幸福至关重要的自我决定理论原则。本研究考察了父母的自我分化水平对养育方式的影响，以及随后对孩子外化行为问题的影响，探讨了母亲和父亲之间可能存在的差异。
三十二对父母与6至14岁被诊断患有外化行为问题的孩子参与了研究。父母分别完成了《自我分化量表简版》《修订版父母作为社会环境问卷》和《长处与困难问卷》，以评估父母的自我分化水平、养育方式和孩子的外化行为问题。调整后的平行中介模型检验了养育方式在父母自我分化水平与孩子外化行为问题之间关系中的中介作用。
虽然未发现父母自我分化水平与孩子症状之间存在直接联系，但一个完全中介模型表明，对母亲和父亲来说，需求挫败型养育方式在父母自我分化水平与孩子外化行为问题之间起中介作用。此外，父亲的需求支持型养育方式而非母亲的，与孩子的症状呈负相关。
这些发现突出了父母特质、需求挫败型养育方式和孩子心理病理学之间的相互作用。值得注意的是，父亲的支持行为成为预防孩子外化行为问题的潜在保护因素，为未来针对父亲的研究和干预提供了有前景的方向。
