Linking family characteristics with poor peer relations: The mediating role of conduct problems

Abstract

Parent, teacher, and peer ratings were collected for 75 grade school boys to test the hypothesis that certain family interaction patterns would be associated with poor peer relations. Path analyses provided support for a mediational model, in which punitive and ineffective discipline was related to child conduct problems in home and school settings which, in turn, predicted poor peer relations. Further analyses suggested that distinct subgroups of boys could be identified who exhibited conduct problems at home only, at school only, in both settings, or in neither setting. Boys who exhibited cross-situational conduct problems were more likely to experience multiple concurrent problems (e.g., in both home and school settings) and were more likely than any other group to experience poor peer relations. However, only about one-third of the boys with poor peer relations in this sample exhibited problem profiles consistent with the proposed model (e.g., experienced high rates of punitive/ineffective home discipline and exhibited conduct problems in home and school settings), suggesting that the proposed model reflects one common (but not exclusive) pathway to poor peer relations.Children who are rejected by their peers during the grade school years are at risk for continuing adjustment difficulties and a number of negative adolescent outcomes, such as school failure and delinquency (cf. Parker & Asher, 1987). Recently, investigators have begun to speculate about the etiology of peer difficulties, focusing particularly on the ways in which parental characteristics and family interaction patterns may influence children's social development and peer adjustment (cf. Parke, et al., 1989). Since many peer-rejected children display high rates of impulsive, non-compliant and aggressive behaviors in their peer interactions (cf. Coie, Dodge & Kupersmidt, 1990), one oft-stated hypothesis is that family characteristics that foster or support child conduct problems may contribute to peer difficulties (cf. Putallaz & Heflin, 1990).Extensive research has demonstrated associations between certain family characteristics and high rates of child conduct problems. In particular, unsuitable discipline practices (e.g., frequent and harsh punishment; inconsistent and ineffective limit setting) and family discord (e.g., marital conflict and parental hostility) appear more commonly in families of conduct problem children than in families of nonproblematic children (Becker, Peterson, Hellmer, Shoemaker & Quay, 1959;Emery, 1982;Loeber & Dishion, 1984;Patterson, 1986). Yet, relatively few studies have included concurrent measures of children's peer relations in order to elucidate the nature and extent of the association between such negative family characteristics and poor peer relations. Patterson, Dishion and Bank (1984) were among the first to test a model empirically linking inconsistent discipline and family discord (e.g., observer ratings of maternal inconsistency and direct observations of negative sibling interactions) to child ...

Loneliness, peer acceptance, and family functioning of Chinese children with learning disabilities: Characteristics and relationships

“…The assumption that children from healthy functioning families are more likely to be accepted by peers is consistent with some existing literature (Bierman, & Smoot, 1991;Michaels, 1990). But the question of why family functioning is not significantly and negatively correlated with loneliness has not yet been answered.…”

“…Research has found that many children with learning disabilities come from illstructured families with disordered management styles and excessive pressures (e.g., work schedules, money) (Bierman & Smoot, 1991;Dishion, 1990;Michaels, 1990;Toro & Weissberg, 1990); however, much of this research has been limited by the methods used to measure these constructs.…”

Patterns of Home and School Behavior Problems in Rural and Urban Settings

“…For example, whereas some of the children who exhibit high rates of behavioral problems at home generalize these problems to school, many do not. Instead, some children continue to show stable patterns of behavior problems in home settings only, with adequate adjustment in the school setting (Bierman & Smoot, 1991). In addition, the nature of the behavioral demands in the school setting may lead to the emergence of behavioral problems for some children who did not show prior adjustment problems at home.…”

“…Behavior problems typically emerge first in family contexts, fostered by high rates of parental commands and harsh, inconsistent, and punitive discipline practices (Eron, 1982; Patterson, 1982). Then children generalize the aggressive and oppositional behavior they have learned at home to the school context, engaging in noncompliant and disruptive behavior in the classroom and aggressive behavior with peers (Bierman & Smoot, 1991;Dodge, Bates, & Pettit, 1990). Interactions with other aggressive children in the school context may support the third step toward negative outcomes, as aggressive children affiliate with deviant peers who, by early adolescence, provide a gateway into delinquent activities (Cairns, Neckerman, & Cairns, 1989;Dishion & Skinner, 1989 Considerable evidence suggests that this three-phase trajectory characterizes the developmental pattern shown by many of the children who exhibit early delinquent activity in adolescence and stable, long-term patterns of maladjustment (Offord, Boyle, & Racine, 1991).…”

Marital conflict and boys' peer relationships: The mediating role of mother-son emotional reciprocity.

“…In addition, mothers' parenting has been shown to be more consistently associated with children's social outcomes (Maccoby & Martin, 1983;Rothbaum & Weisz, 1994). Furthermore, connections between family relationships and peer relationships have been found to be stronger for boys than for girls (Bierman & Smoot, 1991;Boyum & Parke, 1995;MacDonald & Parke, 1984). Thus, in the present investigation, we focused on the effect of marital conflict on the mother-son relationship.…”