Age trends in the association between parenting practices and conduct problems

The authors studied the association between parenting practices and conduct problem behavior in a sample of 179 clinic-referred children and adolescents. Parenting practices were assessed using a multi-informant and multimethod assessment system. Conduct problems were the DSM-III-R criteria for oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder assessed by a structured psychiatric interview with multiple informants. Results indicated that parents' involvement in their children's activities was most strongly predictive of conduct problems in the adolescent age group (ages 13-17), whereas corporal punishment was most strongly associated with conduct problems in the middle age group (ages 9-12). Parents' monitoring and supervision of their children's behavior was moderately predictive of conduct problems in both of these age groups but only weakly predictive in the youngest age group (ages 6-9). Finally, parental consistency in using discipline was highly predictive of conduct problems in the adolescent age group and moderately predictive in the youngest age group.