The Relation Between Parenting Stress, Locus of Control and Child Outcomes: Predictors of Change in a Parenting Intervention

Abstract

This study examines the relationship among parent stress, parent locus of control, child disruptive behaviors, and child coping competence over the course of an 8-week parenting program. We predicted that parent stress and parent locus of control are correlated, decreases in parent stress and increases in parent internal locus of control predict increases in child coping competence, and decreases in child disruptive behavior and higher levels of internal parent LOC would relate to decreases in parent stress level. Measures and data from the original Parenting Our Children to Excellence study were used. The study found decreasing parent stress and increasing parent internal locus of control lead to positive changes in child outcomes, and decreasing parent stress changes their attributions of control. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine changes in parent stress and locus of control, regarding child coping competence and child disruptive behavior, over time.