Coping with Parental Problems

Abstract

Four parental coping efforts—punitive disciplinary efforts, optimistic comparisons, selective ignoring, and resignation—are examined for their effectiveness in reducing parental distress and difficulties. Data are drawn from two sets of interviews with a large metropolitan population; effectiveness is assessed net of gender, socioeconomic status, ongoing marital problems, age and number of children, and initial level of difficulty. For both behavior problems of younger children and the future direction of older children, more frequent punitive disciplinary efforts and less optimistic comparisons were associated with greater parental distress. A resigned, impotent stance was also associated with greater parental distress for outcome concerns but not for behavior problems. None of the coping efforts directly affected later parental problems; rather, the initial level of difficulty and the composition of one's family (ages, number, and residence) were the primary influence. Within the range of coping efforts examined, it seems that the effects of common parental efforts are largely limited to reducing parental distress.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Berman, W. H. and D. C. Turk 1981

“Adaptation to divorce: problems and coping strategies.”

J. of Marriage and the Family 43: 179-189.

Campbell, A. , P. E. Converse , and W. L. Rodgers 1976 The Quality of American Life. New York: Russell Sage.

Folkman, S. and R. S. Lazarus 1980

“An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample.”

J. of Health and Social Behavior 21: 219-239.

Glenn, N. D. , and S. McLanahan 1981

“The effects of offspring on the psychological well-being of older adults.”

J. of Marriage and the Family 43: 409-421.

Gordon, T. 1970 Parent Effectiveness Training. New York: T. H. Wyden.

Greenberg, S. 1978 Right from the Start: A Guide to Nonsexist Child Rearing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Haan, N. 1977 Coping and Defending: Processes of Self-Environment Organization. New York: Academic Press.

Hartup, W. W. 1978 “Perspectives on child and family interaction: past, present, and future,” pp. 23-46 in R. M. Lerner and G. B. Spanier (eds.) Child Influences on Marital and Family Interaction. New York: Academic Press.

Hartwig, F. and B. E. Dearing 1979 Exploratory Data Analysis: Sage University Press Paper Series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

10.

Hoffman, L. W. and J. D. Manis 1978 “Influences of children on marital interaction and parental satisfactions and dissatisfactions,” pp. 165-214 in R. M. Lerner and G. B. Spanier (eds.) Child Influences on Marital and Family Interaction. New York: Academic Press.

11.

Horowitz, M. 1978 “The coping inventory.” Presented at the meeting on Measurement Issues in Coping Research, University of California at San Francisco, March.

12.

Joreskog, K. G. 1969

“A general approach to confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis.”

Psychometrika 34: 183-202.

13.

Joreskog, K. G. and M. van Thillo 1972 “LISREL: A general computer program for estimating a linear structural equation system involving multiple indicators of unmeasured variables.” Research Bulletin 72-56. Princeton, NJ: Education Testing Service.

14.

Lawley, D. N. and A. E. Maxwell 1971 Factor Analysis as a Statistical Method. New York: Elsevier.

15.

McCubbin, H. I. , B. Dahl , G. Lester , D. Benson , and M. Robertson 1976

“Coping repertories of families adapting to prolonged war-induced separations.”

J. of Marriage and the Family 38: 461-471.

16.

1983

“Individual coping efforts and family studies: conceptual and methodological issues.”

Marriage and Family Rev. 6: 113-135.

17.

Pearlin, L. I. and M. A. Lieberman 1979 “Social sources of emotional distress,” pp. 217-248 in Roberta Simmons (ed.) Research in Community and Mental Health, Vol. I. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

18.

Pearlin, L. I. and C. Schooler 1978

“The structure of coping.”

J. of Health and Social Behavior 19: 2-21.

19.

Pearlin, L. , M. A. Lieberman , E. G. Menaghan , and J. T. Mullan 1981

“The stress process.”

J. of Health and Social Behavior 22: 337-356.

20.

Rollins, B. C. and D. L. Thomas 1979 “Parental support, power, and control techniques in the socialization of children,” pp. 317-364 in W. R. Burr et al. (eds.) Contemporary Theories about the Family, Vol. I. New York: Free Press.

21.

Spock, B. 1976 Baby and Child Care. New York: Fawcett.

22.

Walters, J. and L. H. Walters 1980

“Parent-child relationships: a review, 1970-1979.”

J. of Marriage and the Family 42: 807-822.

23.

Wolfenstein, M. 1955 “Fun morality: An analysis of recent American child-training literature,” pp. 169-178 in M. Mead and M. Wolfenstein (eds.) Childhood in Contemporary Cultures. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.