Parents' Problem Solving with Preadolescents and Its Association with Social Withdrawal at School: Considering Parents' Stress and Child Gender

Abstract

The early adolescent years are a critical period for social skill development, especially for children at risk for social failure. Data from the Adolescent Development Research Program (ADRP) were used to examine the interrelationship of parents’ stress, problem solving with their adolescent child, and youths’ social withdrawal. Data were collected from 231 families in the rural South, each of which included an 11- or 12-year-old child. Fathers’ but not mothers’ constructive problem solving with children was negatively associated with teachers’ reports of youths’ social withdrawal, with the association for fathers being especially strong for sons. Neither parents’ self-reported stress was associated with selfreported problem solving with children, nor was parents’ stress associated with children’s social withdrawal. Interventions with fathers that teach and encourage problem solving with children may benefit children’s social development, a benefit that may be especially helpful for socially withdrawn sons.