Open AccessThe Effects of Parenting Styles on Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors: A Mexican Preadolescents Study
Author(s) -
Jaime FuentesBalderrama,
Cinthia Cruz del Castillo,
Angélica Ojeda García,
Rolando Díaz Loving,
Bernardo Turnbull Plaza,
José Rubén Parra Cardona
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of psychological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.23
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 2011-7922
pISSN - 2011-2084
DOI - 10.21500/20112084.4478
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , parenting styles , association (psychology) , structural equation modeling , externalization , psychological control , clinical psychology , scale (ratio) , social psychology , statistics , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , psychotherapist
Parental practices such as inconsistent discipline, psychological control, and imposition have been linked to the development of internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in preadolescents. This study aimed to identify the association these practices had on Mexican preadolescent problem behaviors through Structural Equation Modeling. The sample consisted of 306 elementary students from three public schools in Mexico City (age M = 10, SD = 0.92). Students completed subscales from the Parental Practice Scale, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Paternal imposition and maternal psychological control were significant predictors for internalizing problems, while inconsistent discipline was a significant predictor of externalizing problems. The results highlight that although parental practicevalues might differ across cultures, their association to problem behaviors are similar.