Parenting practices and child disruptive behavior problems in early elementary school

Examined the hypothesis that distinct parenting practices may be associated with type and profile of a child's disruptive behavior problems (e.g, oppo sitional, aggressive, hyperactive). Parents of 631 behaviorally disruptive children described the extent to which they experienced warm and involved i nteractions with their children and the extent to which their discipline st rategies were inconsistent and punitive and involved spanking and physical aggression. As expected from a developmental perspective, parenting practic es that included punitive interactions were associated with elevated rates of all child disruptive behavior problems. Low levels of warm involvement w ere particularly characteristic of parents of children who showed elevated levels of oppositional behaviors. Physically aggressive parenting was linke d more specifically with child aggression. In general, parenting practices contributed more to the prediction of oppositional and aggressive behavior problems than to hyperactive behavior problems, and parenting influences we re fairly consistent across ethnic groups and sex.