The role of parenting on child socioemotional development: evidence from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study

The influence of parenting on children’s socioemotional development at age 4 years was investigated using data from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. A total of 4010 children (50.6% male; mean age=45.5 months, SD=2.6; 72.4% White, 27.4% Black, 0.2% others) and their mothers (mean age=31.4 years, SD=6.6) took part in the study. Parenting was assessed via the Parental and Family Adjustment Scale and three observational tasks. Child mental health was assessed using the emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity/inattention subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Adjusted models showed that poor parental consistency, use of coercive parenting, and poor parent-child interactions were significantly associated with all three child outcomes.