Abstract
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between children’s behavior (i.e., prosocial and problematic behavior) and the parenting style (i.e., laxness and overreactivity) of their caregivers by using longitudinal data in the Japanese population. These data were collected when the children were 7.5 and 9 years. We proposed three hypotheses: children’s behavior at 7.5 years will predict their behavior at 9 years; children’s behavior at 7.5 years will predict the parenting of their caregivers; and the parenting style of caregivers will affect their children’s behavior at 9 years. We evaluated children’s behavior and parenting behavior using a strength and difficulties questionnaire and a parenting scale. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the SEM showed that children’s behavior at 7.5 years predicted their behavior at 9 years. Children’s problematic behavior at 7.5 years triggered overreactive parenting in their caregivers at 9 years, which increased problematic behavior and decreased prosocial behavior in the children at 9 years. These findings indicate the association between children’s behavior and the parenting style of caregivers in Japan.
Highlights
Children interact with their environment, and these interactions affect their development [1]
Parent training programs as one of the intervention methods aimed at teaching parents how to rear their children are effective in improving the behavior of children with developmental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) [2] and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [3]
A meta-analysis showed that a parenting program, Triple P, reduced the problematic behavior of children and the effect was maintained in the long term [4]
Summary
Children interact with their environment (e.g., family and school), and these interactions affect their development [1]. Children share a home with their primary caregivers or parents for a long time. Previous clinical intervention studies have made reference to the importance of the interactions between children and their caregivers. Parent training programs as one of the intervention methods aimed at teaching parents how to rear their children are effective in improving the behavior of children with developmental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) [2] and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [3]. A meta-analysis showed that a parenting program, Triple P, reduced the problematic behavior of children and the effect was maintained in the long term [4]. Consistent with the findings of clinical intervention studies, it has been reported that the behavioral
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