Parental child-rearing practices, behavior problems and pre-school children's social competence

The study examined associations between parents' childrearing practices, behavior problems and pre-school children's social competence. A total of 48 mothers and 33 fathers, when their firstborn children were aged six, completed an interview about child-rearing practices and the Social Skills Rating System that also assesses behavior problems. Spearman correlations indicated positive associations between maternal coercive practices and children's behavior problems, especially those related to externalizing. Positive correlations were also found between fathers' coercive practices and internalizing problems, as well as among fathers' inductive and non-interference practices with children's cooperation and assertiveness, respectively. Girls' mothers reported higher levels of self-control and social competence than did boys' mothers. Moreover, lower SES mothers referred more coercive practices while higher SES mothers reported more inductive practices. Findings underscore the relationship between fathers' inductive practices and children's social competence. In addition, results suggested associations among both mothers' and fathers' coercive practices and children's behavior problems.