SELF-EFFICACY AND PARENTING QUALITY - FINDINGS AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS

Appreciation for cognitive factors associated with parental competence and satisfaction is increasingly evident in recent developmental rese arch. In particular, parental self-efficacy beliefs have emerged as bo th a powerful direct predictor of specific positive parenting practice s and a mediator of the effects of some of the most thoroughly researc hed correlates of parenting quality including maternal depression, chi ld temperament, social support, and poverty. Parental self-efficacy be liefs embody an estimation of the degree to which parents perceive the mselves as capable of performing the varied tasks associated with this highly demanding role. The overall objective of this review is to syn thesize the extant findings related to parental self-efficacy in order to shed light on the importance of the construct for both theoretical and applied purposes. A foundation in self-efficacy theory and genera l self-efficacy research is offered initially, followed by an explorat ion of the empirical findings relevant to parenting self-efficacy. Mec hanisms through which self-efficacy beliefs are likely to develop and influence parenting are subsequently described. Finally, the possibili ty of therapeutic intervention designed to alter competency perception s among parents who are at-risk or who are currently experiencing diff iculty in parenting is examined and avenues for future investigative w ork are suggested. (C) 1998 Academic Press.