Examining the Effects of Caregiver Stress, Communication Quality, and Discipline Practices on Child Externalizing Behavior

Despite the established relation between caregiver stress and externalizing symptoms in school-aged children (Deater-Deckard, 1998), the extent to which specific caregiver-related variables (i.e., discipline practices and communication quality) influence this association is largely unknown. Based on Abidin’s theoretical model of parenting stress (1995), the present study aimed to elucidate the unique contribution of caregiver stress to (1) rule-breaking and aggressive behaviors, (2) two caregiver-related variables (i.e., discipline practices and communication); and (3) two externalizing subscales (i.e., rule-breaking and aggression symptoms) while controlling for caregiver ratings of discipline practices and communication quality. In the present study, caregivers and teachers of 36 children aged 7-12 years completed standardized ratings of the child’s externalizing symptoms. In addition, caregivers completed ratings of stress and variables unique to the caregiver-child relationship (i.e., communication quality and discipline practices). The current study hypothesized the following: (1) caregiver stress will be associated positively with child externalizing behaviors (i.e., both rule-breaking and aggression symptoms); (2) caregiver stress/distress will be associated positively with both poor communication quality and inconsistent disciplinary practices; (3) both poor communication quality and inconsistent discipline will be associated positively with child externalizing behavior; and (4) the association between caregiver stress/distress and child externalizing behavior will be moderated by poor communication quality and inconsistent discipline practices. In support of the hypothesis, we found that caregiver stress predicted both caregiver- and teacher-reported aggressive behaviors. Moreover, while caregiver stress predicted caregiver-reported rule-breaking behaviors, caregiver stress was not related to teacher-reported rule-breaking behaviors, poor communication quality, and inconsistent discipline in the present study. Research/clinical implications, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.