Parenting in a conflict-affected setting: Discipline practices, parent–child interactions, and parenting stress in Liberia.

This study first describes parenting in urban Liberia by evaluating parent–child interactions, the use and acceptance of harsh and nonharsh discipline, discipline preferences, and the co-occurrence of positive interactions and harsh discipline. The relationship between parenting stress and harsh discipline attitudes and behaviors is then tested. Participants included 813 parents with a child aged 3 or 4 years old. A quantitative survey battery assessed parent–child interactions; discipline practices, preferences, and attitudes; and parenting stress. Parents reported frequent use and high acceptance of nonharsh discipline, as well as frequent positive interactions with their child. Though parents reported less frequent use and low acceptance of harsh discipline, preference for harsh discipline—based on hypothetical situations rather than self-report—was common. There was co-occurrence of frequent positive interactions and frequent harsh discipline, with one third reporting high frequency of both. Regression analysis revealed greater parenting stress (β = .15, t = 4.49, p
Source: Journal of Family Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research