NCJ Number
216037
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 157-167
Date Published
May 2006
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the supportive role of parent-to-parent cooperation on positive discipline practices for biological and foster parents with children in foster care.
Abstract
Biological and foster parents were fairly similar in their overall reporting of disciplinary practices; both had a greater endorsement of positive and appropriate discipline, and clear expectations, over harsh discipline. After controlling for differences in their psychosocial profiles, biological and foster parents were found to endorse similar levels of positive discipline, appropriate discipline, and harsh discipline. For biological and foster parents, child characteristics (i.e. being female, younger, and having more conduct problems) were associated with parental self-reports of less effective discipline. The study suggests that children could benefit from enhancement of supportive relationships between biological and foster parents involved in the foster care system. Little is known about the variability of parental discipline practices among biological and foster parents in the foster care system. This study assessed similarities and differences in self-reported parental discipline practices among 124 parents (62 biological and foster pairs) of foster children who were primarily neglected and placed at 1 foster care agency. A multivariate model was used to identify characteristics of the individual child, the parent, and the foster ecology as potential sources of variations in discipline practices among parents of children in foster care. Figure, table, references