Racial/ethnic group differences in parenting attitudes among at-risk emerging adults: The roles of adversity, relationship quality, and caregiver involvement and attitudes.

Background: Healthy parenting attitudes are foundational for positive parenting and child well-being. However, few studies explore their formation and mediators explaining racial/ethnic group differences.

Objective: The present study prospectively examines potential mediators for racial/ethnic group differences in parenting attitudes in a diverse sample of emerging adults (EA).

Participants & Setting: Participants are EA and their caregivers (N = 891) who participated in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN).

Methods: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), parenting attitudes, and caregiver-child relationship quality and involvement were assessed. Mediators of racial/ethnic group differences were tested using Structural Equation Modeling with bias-corrected confidence intervals based on 1000 bootstrapped samples.

Results: Black EA had less appropriate developmental expectations and perceptions of family roles, empathy toward children, and rejection of physical punishment, compared to White EA. Latinx EA also had less empathy toward children compared to White EA. Caregivers' parenting attitudes mediated group differences, beyond ACEs and relationship quality and involvement. Significant mediation effects include: appropriate developmental expectations, R = 0.08, p < .05; rejection of physical punishment, R = 0.06, p < .05; appropriate family roles, R = 0.16, p < .05; and empathy toward children, R = 0.15, p < .05, for Black relative to White EA, as well as, empathy toward children, R = 0.12, p < .05, for Latinx relative to White EA.

Conclusion: Findings highlight the mediating role of intergenerational transmission of parenting attitudes for explaining racial-ethnic differences and supporting positive parenting practices in diverse communities.