Intrusive parenting in early childhood: A review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines similarities and differences in intrusive parenting between mothers and fathers and relations between intrusive parenting and early childhood development. The authors integrated 55 studies and differentiated cognitive skills and socio-emotional problems as developmental outcomes. The present study employs three-level meta-analyses to reliably estimate effect sizes and examine a range of moderators. It finds a moderate effect size of similarities in intrusive parenting within a family (r=0.256, confidence interval [CI]=[0.180, 0.329]). No significant differences were observed in intrusiveness level between mothers and fathers (g=0.035, CI=[-0.034, 0.103]). Intrusive parenting had a significant positive association with children's socio-emotional problems (rmother =0.098, CImother =[0.051, 0.145]; rfather =0.094, CI father =[0.032, 0.154]) but was not related to cognitive skills. Moderator analyses suggest that East Asian mothers exhibit higher intrusiveness levels than fathers, whereas Western parents display no significant differences. Overall, these results reveal more similarities than differences in intrusive parenting and that culture likely plays a role in shaping gender-specific parenting behaviors.