Parental warmth is a treatment target of emerging interventions for children with callous-unemotional traits. However, research to date has yet to examine the empirical structure of parental warmth toward young children due to the lack of clinically feasible, psychometrically sound, and comprehensive measures of warmth for this population. To address this knowledge gap, the present study developed and tested the psychometric properties of a self-report measure of parental warmth, the Parental Affection/Warmth Scale (PAWS). A sample of 899 parents of 2- to 8-year-old children ( = 4.77 years, = 1.95; 46.1% girls) was recruited online using Amazon's Mechanical Turk and CloudResearch. Exploratory factor analysis identified a novel three-factor structure: Warmth, Toddler-oriented Interaction, and Play-based Interaction, which was validated by a confirmatory factor analysis. However, only the PAWS Warmth subscale functioned consistently with theoretical expectations. PAWS Warmth scores were internally consistent; convergent with existing positive parenting scales; discriminant from negative parenting scales; and concurrent with child empathy, callous-unemotional traits, and conduct problems. Findings have implications for refining treatment targets for interventions focused on enhancing parental warmth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0001343 | DOI Listing |
Early Child Res Q
September 2024
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Parenting has long been a topic of research based on its importance for family and child outcomes. Recent methodological advances in person-centered approaches suggest that our understanding of parenting could be further advanced by examining parenting typologies across various parenting behaviors longitudinally. Accordingly, the current study aims to examine latent transitions in parenting practice patterns across four annual assessments during early childhood and examine whether individual- and family-level factors at baseline discriminate parenting transition patterns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Youth Adolesc
December 2024
School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Few studies have comprehensively examined the reciprocal relation between specific parenting practices and children's academic performance across parent and child gender. The present study investigated the bidirectional associations between parental warmth/control and children's academic performance using a three-wave longitudinal multi-informant design. A total of 814 families (M = 10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Psychiatry
December 2024
Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Introduction: Adolescence is a critical developmental phase characterized by increased risk-taking behaviors, which are not inherently maladaptive. According to life history theory, individuals raised in harsh and unpredictable environments are more likely to adopt faster life history strategies, favoring immediate rewards over long-term benefits. Yet, limited empirical research explore the psychological mechanism about how early-life environmental stresses influence adolescents' risk-taking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Psychiatry
December 2024
Department of Physical Education, Xinzhou Normal University, Xinzhou 034000, Shanxi Province, China.
Background: Adolescence is a critical period marked by significant psychological changes. This study explores how self-efficacy and parental parenting styles may influence the risk of severe depression among teens. The hypothesis is that higher self-efficacy and authoritative parenting patterns will be negatively correlated with severe depression in adolescents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDev Psychobiol
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.
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