The relationship between parenting behaviour and externalizing, non-compliant behaviour was examined in a study with 41 mother-child dyads (children between 1-7 years old) staying in family...Show moreThe relationship between parenting behaviour and externalizing, non-compliant behaviour was examined in a study with 41 mother-child dyads (children between 1-7 years old) staying in family residential clinics because of an out-of-home placement or possible future reunification with their biological parents. There was a history of emotional or physical abuse and/or neglect in most of the families. Mothers and children participated in two joint tasks (don’t touch and clean-up) in which their behaviour was observed and coded. Parenting behaviours studied were mild physical interferences and supportive presence. Analyses were controlled for child sex and age. Hierarchical regression models showed that during the don’t touch task mild physical interferences by mothers were a moderate to strong predictor of externalizing behaviour of their children, regardless of the age or sex of the child. In the clean-up task, mild physical interferences interacted with the sex of the child, with boys showing more externalizing behaviour when their mothers physically interfered than girls. However, the regression models with supportive presence were not significant. Age of the child correlated with externalizing behaviour and physical interferences in both contexts, with older children showing less externalizing behaviour and receiving less physical interferences. Future research should study mild physical interference, not only harsh physical discipline, to determine whether this is a predictor of child behaviours in general or only in high-risk families. Other implications for future research and practice are discussed.Show less
