Considering the Role of Ethnicity and Romantic Attachment Style in Understanding Parenting Stress

Miranda Signorelli*, Gabrielle M. McDonald*, Natalie E. Watson*, Lindsay R. Druskin, Christopher K. Owen, Robin C. Han, Jane Kohlhoff, and Cheryl McNeil

Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Behavioral & Social Sciences (Poster Presentation #81)

Student’s Major: Psychology

Parenting stress has been thoroughly demonstrated to impact parenting behaviors, such that higher levels of parenting stress have been linked to harsh, negative parenting behaviors (Deater-Deckhard, 1998). Thus, it is critical to understand parent-level factors associated with parenting stress to inform effective intervention strategies. Previous research has found a correlation between poor romantic attachment and higher levels of parenting stress in new, first-time parents (Rholes et al., 2006). Additionally, higher levels of parenting stress have been reported in non-Caucasian parents (Kim et al., 2020). However, researchers have yet to examine these associations in a sample of families with toddlers clinically referred for behavioral problems. We hypothesize that mothers with high levels of avoidant or anxious romantic attachment will have higher levels of parenting stress than mothers with low levels of avoidant or anxious romantic attachment. We hypothesize that mothers who are non-Caucasian will experience higher levels of parenting stress than mothers who are Caucasian. Participants include 84 parents (Mage = 32.65 years) and their toddler-aged children seeking treatment in a larger study. Parents reported on their romantic attachment using the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short Form (Wei et al., 2007) and parenting stress on the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (Abidin, 2012) during the pre-treatment assessment. Independent samples t-tests will be conducted to examine group differences in parenting stress between parents with high and low levels of anxious and avoidant attachment and between Caucasian and non-Caucasian parents. Understanding ethnicity and attachment will be beneficial for future intervention research targeting parenting stress.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a WVU 497-level course