Publications
Search results for 'parenting'
Does adolescent academic achievement predict future parenting? | 2023
McAnally, H. M. Iosua, E. Belsky, J. Sligo, J. L. Letcher,
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Infant and Child Development, 2023, .
https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2483
Our ref: RO797
Abstract The effects of academic achievement may extend beyond economic success to influence social functioning, including future parenting. To evaluate whether adolescent academic achievement forecasts future parenting (both positive and negative) and the family home environment of parents. We used prospectively gathered intergenerational data from a population-based birth cohort born in 1972/1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand, including data from Generation 1 (parents of the birth cohort), the birth cohort (Generation 2; G2), and G2's children (Generation 3). Adolescent academic achievement in G2 was used to predict observed and reported parenting outcomes when offspring (G3) were aged 3 years after controlling for a range of covariates, including G2's adolescent wellbeing, early childhood socioeconomic status (collected from G1), and G2's age at child's birth. We also evaluated 2-way interactions between academic achievement and G2 parent sex, G3 child behaviour, and G2 adolescent wellbeing. Greater G2 academic achievement, net of controls, predicted more positive and less negative parenting (for mothers only), and a more positive home environment. For the home environment outcome, the effect of adolescent academic achievement was moderated by wellbeing. Adolescent academic achievement may positively influence parenting behaviour and the quality of the home environment.
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Childhood disadvantage and adolescent socioemotional wellbeing as predictors of future parenting behaviour | 2020
McAnally, H. M. Iosua, E. Sligo, J. L. Belsky, J. Spry,
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Journal of Adolescence, 2020, 86 90-100.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.12.005
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO749
INTRODUCTION: In extending work on early life antecedents of parenting, we investigate associations between childhood family history of disadvantage, adolescent socioemotional wellbeing, and age at first parenthood and subsequent parenting behaviour. METHODS: Parent-child interactions were recorded when participants in the longitudinal Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (New Zealand) had a three-year-old child. Data were available for 358 mothers and 321 fathers, aged between 17.7 and 41.5 at the time of their child's birth. Associations between parenting and antecedent data on socioeconomic disadvantage, adolescent wellbeing and mental health, as well as current adult mental health and age at parenting, were tested for using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: Family disadvantage in childhood and lower adolescent wellbeing was associated with less positive future parenting, but only adult (not adolescent) anxiety/depression symptoms were directly associated with parenting behaviour. Childhood family disadvantage was associated with further disadvantage across the life course that included less positive parenting of the next generation. In contrast, socioemotional wellbeing during adolescence and later age of onset of parenting were associated with more positive parenting. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing childhood disadvantage and improving socioemotional wellbeing during childhood and adolescence is likely to have intergenerational benefits through better parenting of the next generation.
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Genetics of nurture: A test of the hypothesis that parents' genetics predict their observed caregiving | 2019
Wertz J Belsky J Moffitt TE Belsky DW., Harrington H., Avinun R., Poulton R., Ramrakha S.,
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Development Psychology, 2019, 55(7), 1461–1472.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO716
Twin studies have documented that parenting behavior is partly heritable, but it is unclear how parents' genetics shape their caregiving. Using tools of molecular genetics, the present study investigated this process by testing hypotheses about associations between a genome-wide polygenic score for educational attainment and parental caregiving in 702 members of the Dunedin Study, a population-representative birth cohort. Data have been prospectively collected from when Study members were born through to midlife, and include assessments of the caregiving they provided once they became parents. Results showed that parents' polygenic scores predicted warm, sensitive, and stimulating caregiving, both in personal interactions with their young children (as captured on video) and through the home environments they created for their families (as observed by home visitors). The magnitude of this effect was small. Polygenic-score associations were independent of well-established predictors of parenting, such as parents' own childhood experiences of parenting and the age at which they became parents. Polygenic-score associations were mediated by parents' early-emerging cognitive abilities and self-control skills. Findings have implications for theory and research about genetic influences on caregiving and child development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Does Being an Older Parent Attenuate the Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting? | 2012
Belsky, J., Hancox, R. J. , Sligo,
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Developmental Psychology, 2012, 48(48), 1570-1574.
Our ref: RO623
Evidence that the transition to parenthood is occurring at older ages in the Western world, that older parents provide more growth-facilitating care than do younger ones, and that most prospective studies of the intergenerational transmission of parenting have focused on relatively young parents led us to evaluate whether parental age might moderate'and attenuate'the intergenerational transmission of parenting. On the basis of the seemingly commonsensical assumption that as individuals age they often become more psychologically mature and have more opportunity to reflect upon and free themselves from the legacy of childhood experiences, we hypothesized that deferring parenting would weaken links between rearing experiences in the family of origin and parenting in the family of procreation. To test this proposition we repeated analyses reported by Belsky, Jaffee, Sligo, Woodward, and Silva (2005) on 227 parents averaging 23 years of age linking rearing experiences repeatedly measured from 3 to 15 years of age with observed parenting in adulthood; we added 273 participants who became parents at older ages than did those in the original sample. Although previously reported findings showing that rearing history predicted mothering but not fathering reemerged, parental age generally failed to moderate the intergenerational transmission of parenting. Other investigators prospectively following children and adults into adulthood and studying the intergenerational transmission process should determine whether these null results vis-'-vis the attenuation of transmission with age obtain when parents with older children are studied or when other methods are used.
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Elevated inflammation levels in depressed adults with a history of childhood maltreatment | 2008
Danese, A. , Moffitt, T. E. , Pariante,
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Archives of General Psychiatry, 2008, 65(65), 409-15.
Our ref: RO558
CONTEXT: The association between depression and inflammation is inconsistent across research samples. OBJECTIVE: To test whether a history of childhood maltreatment could identify a subgroup of depressed individuals with elevated inflammation levels, thus helping to explain previous inconsistencies. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: A representative birth cohort of 1000 individuals was followed up to age 32 years as part of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Study members were assessed for history of childhood maltreatment and current depression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inflammation was assessed using a clinically relevant categorical measure of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (>3 mg/L) and a dimensional inflammation factor indexing the shared variance of continuous measures of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and white blood cells. RESULTS: Although depression was associated with high levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (relative risk,1.45; 95% confidence interval,1.06-1.99), this association was significantly attenuated and no longer significant when the effect of childhood maltreatment was taken into account. Individuals with current depression and a history of childhood maltreatment were more likely to have high levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein compared with control subjects (n = 27; relative risk, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.23-3.47). In contrast, individuals with current depression only had a nonsignificant elevation in risk (n = 109; relative risk, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-2.01). Results were generalizable to the inflammation factor. The elevated inflammation levels in individuals who were both depressed and maltreated were not explained by correlated risk factors such as depression recurrence, low socioeconomic status in childhood or adulthood, poor health, or smoking. CONCLUSIONS: A history of childhood maltreatment contributes to the co-occurrence of depression and inflammation. Information about experiences of childhood maltreatment may help to identify depressed individuals with elevated inflammation levels and, thus, at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
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When parents have a history of conduct disorder: how is the caregiving environment affected? | 2006
Jaffee, S.R., Belsky, J., Harrington,
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Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2006, 115(115), 309-319.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO507
Individuals with early-emerging conduct problems are likely to become parents who expose their children to considerable adversity. The current study tested the specificity of and alternative explanations for this trajectory. The sample included 246 members of a prospective, 30-year cohort study and their 3-year-old children. Parents who had a history of conduct disorder were specifically at elevated risk for socioeconomic disadvantage and relationship violence, but suboptimal parenting and offspring temperament problems were common to parents with any history of disorder. Recurrent disorder, comorbidity, and adversity in the family of origin did not fully account for these findings. The cumulative consequences of early-onset conduct disorder and assortative mating for antisocial behavior may explain the long-term effects of conduct disorder on young adult functioning.
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Intergenerational transmission of warm-sensitive-stimulating parenting: A prospective study of mothers and fathers of 3-year-olds | 2005
Belsky, J., Jaffee, S.R., Sligo,
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Child Development, 2005, 76(76), 384-396.
Our ref: RO477
More than 200 New Zealand men and women studied repeatedly since age 3 were videotaped interacting with their own 3-year-old children to determine (a) whether childrearing and family climate experienced in 3 distinct developmental periods while growing up (i.e., early childhood, middle childhood, early adolescence) predicted parenting and (b) whether romantic relationship quality moderated the effect of childrearing history on observed parenting. Support for the first hypothesis emerged across all 3 developmental periods for mothers (only), with no evidence of moderating effects of romantic relationship quality for mothers or fathers. Results are discussed in terms of supportive versus harsh parenting, motherfather differences, and the characteristics of the sample.
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Predicting early fatherhood and whether young fathers live with their children: prospective findings and policy reconsiderations | 2001
Jaffee, S. R. , Caspi, A. , Moffitt,
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Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2001, 42(42), 803-815.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11583253
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO390
This prospective study of a birth cohort addressed three questions. Which individual and family-of-origin characteristics predict the age at which young men make the transition to fatherhood? Do these same characteristics predict how long young men live with their child? Are individual differences in the amount of time fathers spend living with their child associated with the father's psychosocial characteristics in young adulthood? In this unique study, it was found that by age 26, 19% of the 499 study men had become fathers. Individual and family-of- origin characteristics were assessed from birth until age 15 and contemporaneous characteristics were assessed at age 26. Young men who experienced a stressful rearing environment and a history of conduct problems were more likely to become fathers at an early age and to spend less time living with their child. Of those who experienced none of the risk factors, fewer than 10% had become fathers by age 26 compared to more than 60% of those who experienced five risk factors. Fathers who lived apart from their child reported the most social and psychological difficulties in young adulthood. These findings point to individual and family-of-origin characteristics that might be targeted in order to delay fatherhood and increase levels of paternal involvement. However, given their troubled life histories and poor social-psychological adjustment in young adulthood, some absent fathers might have difficulties providing positive parenting and partnering unless policy initiatives to promote intact families also support young fathers.
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Why are children born to teen mothers at risk for adverse outcomes in young adulthood? Results from a 20-year longitudinal study | 2001
Jaffee, S.R., Caspi, A., Moffitt,
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Development and Psychopathology, 2001, 13(13), 377-397.
Our ref: RO379
This 20-year longitudinal study showed that the young adult offspring of teen mothers are at risk for a range of adverse outcomes including early school leaving, unemployment, early parenthood, and violent offending. We tested how much the effect of teen childbearing on offspring outcomes could be accounted for by social selection (in which a woman’s characteristics that make her an inadequate parent also make her likely to bear children in her teens) versus social influence (in which the consequences of becoming a teen mother also bring harm to her children, apart from any characteristics of her own). The results provided support for both mechanisms. Across outcomes, maternal characteristics and family circumstances together accounted for approximately 39% of the effect of teen childbearing on offspring outcomes. Consistent with a social-selection hypothesis, maternal characteristics accounted for approximately 18% of the effect of teen childbearing on offspring outcomes and consistent with a social-influence hypothesis, family circumstances accounted for 21% of the teen childbearing effect after controlling for maternal characteristics. These results suggest that public policy initiatives should be targeted not only at delaying childbearing in the population, but at supporting individual at-risk mothers and their children.
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Adolescents' needs for parenting education: Is there a role for the health professions? | 1996
Stanton, W.R., Fisher, K.J., Calvert,
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Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 1996, 6(6), 57-59.
Our ref: RO298
This paper examined what information needs are reported by adolescents and what communication channels are used to obtain parenting information. The study found that adolescents are in need of information about parenting and may seek assistance from health professionals.
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Perceptions of parenthood: similarities and differences between 15 year old girls and boys | 1992
Calvert, B., Stanton, W.R.
Adolescence, 1992, 27(27), 315-218.
Our ref: RO174
Similarities and differences between the contributions of both parents, and some reasons for these similarities and differences, are explored through the responses of a cohort of Dunedin teenagers to questions about their expectations of becoming parents, their relevant experience and knowledge, and their future needs for information. It is concluded that both sexes have a commitment to parenting and expectations of sharing the tasks of parenthood, and that they expect the basis of sharing to be expediency as dictated by economic and other factors rather than any inherent superiority of one sex for the tasks.
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Educating for parenthood: the role of the school | 1991
Calvert, B., Stanton, W.R.
New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 1991, 26(26), 75-86.
Our ref: NZ63
This paper describes the results of interviews with 846 15 year olds regarding their expectations of becoming parents, the relevant experience and knowledge they already had for this task, the sources of their knowledge, their expected needs for further knowledge, and the anticipated sources of that knowledge. The role of the school in providing parenting education is discussed. The authors conclude that schools should provide all boys and girls with general information on a number of parenting-related topics which are of significance and interest to adolescents; should help parents understand the needs of their adolescent children; and should try to provide students with contacts with young children in everyday settings so that students are familiar with child development and child behaviour. See also NZ60 and MO22 for the full report.
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Parenting perspectives among adolescents: findings from a study of 846 Dunedin fifteen year olds in 1987-88 | 1989
Calvert, B.
Delta, 1989, 42(42), 53-60.
Our ref: NZ60
This article reported a study of adolescents' self reports about their expectations about being parents, their experience and knowledge of parenting, the information they believed they needed, and their attitudes to parenting issues. Gender differences and some differences relating to socio-economic status, reading ability and family characteristics were noted. The results showed that there is likely to be a continuing move towards greater participation by both parents in nurturing roles. Implications for preparation for parenting for both boys for both boys and girls was discussed. See also NZ63 and MO 22 for the full report.
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Parents' and teachers' perceptions of behaviour problems in seven year old children | 1983
McGee, R., Silva, P.A., Williams,
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The Exceptional Child, 1983, 30(30), 151-161.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO30
This study investigated the characteristics of children identified as having behaviour problems by a parent, by a teacher, or by both parent and teacher. Characteristics studied included those of the mother, the family, and the child him/herself. Results indicated differential associations between these background characteristics and problem behaviour, depending upon whether the parent, the teacher, or both perceived a problem. The findings point to the need for a careful description of children with behaviour problems based upon both parent and teacher reports.
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