The Differential Impact of Parenting on Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors in the Context of Maternal Stress

The effectiveness of parenting on child outcomes may be dependent on other contextual factors. To date, few studies have focused on the potential moderating effect of maternal stress on the relationship between parenting and youth externalizing behaviors. This study extends prior work by assessing how the relationship between parenting and youth outcomes varies by the presence of maternal stress, while focusing on the developmental period of adolescence and two dimensions of parenting, parental knowledge and maternal warmth. Data were collected from 278 Mother-adolescent dyads (M(adolescent age) = 14.05; 53.2% females; 61.9% minority) on maternal stress, maternal warmth and parental knowledge, and youth aggression and delinquency. Multi-level regression models found significant two-way interactions between parental knowledge and maternal stress on aggression and between maternal warmth and maternal stress on both outcomes. Parental knowledge was associated with lower aggression in the context of high maternal stress, but warmth only attenuated the risk of youth outcomes among low maternal stress. This study highlights the importance of considering how contextual factors impact the relationship between parenting and youth externalizing behaviors.