Considering the role of early discrimination experiences and the parent-child relationship in the development of disruptive behaviors in adolescence

Abstract

Discrimination has been shown to be related to diminished psychological adjustment and greater risk for substance use when personally experienced by adolescents and when their caregivers experience discrimination. Our research considers the impact of primary caregiver experiences of racial- and socioeconomic-based discrimination in early (age 3-5 years) and late childhood (age 9½) on adolescent disruptive behaviors (age 14) with a large sample of diverse caregiver-child dyads (N = 634). In addition, we examine the potential protective effects of parent-child relationship quality in early and late childhood in buffering the effects of caregiver discrimination on adolescent disruptive behaviors. We also explore possible gender differences in children's vulnerability to engage in disruptive behaviors in the context of caregiver experiences of discrimination. The findings from this study indicate that at trend level, early childhood experiences of primary caregiver discrimination (ages 3-5) predicted adolescent disruptive behaviors, accounting for the effects of more recent (age 9½) caregiver discrimination. In addition, parent-child relationship quality at age 9½ years was found to buffer the effects of late childhood (age 9½) primary caregiver discrimination on adolescent disruptive behaviors for both male and female youth. The findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention techniques that foster healthy and positive primary caregiver-child relationships.

Keywords: Diskriminierung; Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; bajos recursos económicos; comportements perturbateurs; conductas destructivas; discriminación; discrimination; disruptive behaviors; disruptives Verhalten; diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds; geringes Einkommen; low income; milieux divers raciaux/ethniques; parent-child relationship; relación progenitor-niño; relation parent-enfant; revenus peu élevés; trasfondos raciales y étnicos diversos; unterschiedliche ethnische Hintergründe; التمييز ، العلاقة بين الوالدين والطفل ، الدخل المنخفض ، تنوع الخلفيات العرقية ، السلوكيات التخريبية; 不同的種族/民族背景; 低収入; 低收入; 多様な人種/民族背景; 差別; 歧視; 破壊的行動; 破壞性行為; 親子関係; 親子關係.