Date of Award:

12-2016

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Renee V. Galliher

Committee

Renee V. Galliher

Committee

Rick Cruz

Committee

Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate observed parenting dimensions and styles among Puerto Rican parents living in Puerto Rico and its relationship to internalizing and externalizing child problems. Participants included 51 families with a child between the ages of 6 and 11. Families engaged in different behavioral observational tasks such as: making puzzles, recess, or solving a problem. The Parenting Styles Observation Rating Scale was used to code the observations and the Child Behavior Checklist was used to assess for behavioral problems. Overall, parents received high ratings on warmth, demandingness, and autonomy granting. Supportive demandingness was negatively associated with internalizing, externalizing, and total child problems. As for parenting styles, the majority of the sample was categorized as authoritative (68.6%), while 23.5% was categorized as “cold.” Authoritative families were significantly associated with lower child problems across the board in comparison to “cold” and permissive families.

These results suggest supportive demandingness should be focused on when working with Puerto Rican parents. Acculturation processes and the evolving nature of parenting should also be taken into account. This project was intended to provide more information regarding normative parenting styles in Puerto Rican families and to fill the gap in the literature regarding this specific population. Finally, limitations of this study and future research avenues in regards to Puerto Rican parenting for families living in Puerto Rico were discussed.

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