Description
Parenting behaviors, including high control and low warmth, are associated with increased risk for child internalizing problems. However, parenting styles may vary by race/ethnicity, and research suggests that the same parenting behaviors may predict different child outcomes across racial/ethnic groups. This study aimed to: (1) determine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in the parenting behaviors of parents with a history of depression; (2) determine whether parenting behaviors across racial/ethnic groups are associated with youth internalizing symptoms; (3) determine if the association between parenting behaviors and youth internalizing symptoms varies by race/ethnicity. Participants were drawn from a randomized controlled trial designed to prevent the intergenerational transmission of depression in the offspring of depressed parents. Youths (n=193) were eligible if they had a parent (n=193) with current/past depression within the youth’s lifetime. Parents self-classified as 60.43% non-Hispanic White (NHW), 15.51% Latinx (LA), 13.44% African American (AA), and 10.70% other. Data were collected during the baseline assessment for the trial. Parent and youth participants reported on youth internalizing symptoms, parent depressive symptoms, and parenting behaviors using standardized measures. Two standardized parent-child interaction tasks were videotaped and coded for parenting behaviors. Group differences were tested with ANOVA models and post-hoc tests; multiple linear regression was used to test relationships between dimensional predictors and outcomes. In this sample, AA parents were rated higher in observed control than NHW parents. Across racial/ethnic groups, higher warmth was associated with lower youth internalizing symptoms and higher observed control was associated with higher youth withdrawn/depressed symptoms. Race/ethnicity moderated the associations between parenting behaviors and youth internalizing symptoms. While higher warmth was associated with lower symptoms among LA and AA, it was associated with higher symptoms among NHW. Moreover, higher intrusiveness was associated with higher symptoms among LA and AA, but not NHW. Results suggest the influence of parenting on youth outcomes may vary by race/ethnicity. Implications for future research and the utility of parenting interventions are discussed.
