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Associations Between Direct and Indirect Perceptions of Parental Differential Treatment and Child Socio-Emotional Adaptation

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Abstract

This study distinguishes between direct and indirect ratings of parental differential treatment (PDT) and targets their unique contributions in predicting siblings’ socio-emotional adaptation. Questionnaire data were gathered in 435 families with (minimum) two non-twin siblings in middle childhood. Two siblings reported about PDT, parents reported about conduct problems and emotional symptoms in siblings. Because aspects of PDT tend to be intertwined in research, we delineated ‘parenting differences’ following siblings’ differing developmental needs from ‘favoritism’ or perceived parental partiality. We separately measured (a) parenting differences and (b) favoritism, both with (c) indirect and (d) direct measures. Indirect parenting differences were calculated by subtracting parenting scores towards each sibling and included positive parenting, negative behavioral control and psychological control. Direct parenting differences were gathered by asking the children to compare parental treatment and included support, strictness and responsibility/autonomy demands. Measures of favoritism explored if one of the siblings received ‘better treatment’ than the other. Multilevel analyses with child perceptions of PDT and child emotional and conduct problems were conducted (parenting differences and favoritism) in a multi-informant design. Reports of favoritism were less frequent than reports of parenting differences and direct scores yielded lower estimates of differentiation than indirect scores. Differences in responsibility/autonomy demands were quite unrelated to perceptions of favoritism. Especially paternal PDT was related to child problem behavior. Siblings who received more negative behavioral control and perceived more strictness displayed more conduct problems. Favoritism was related to higher levels of problem behavior, regardless of which sibling received favored treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 32, Box 3765, Louvain, Belgium

    Rozemarijn Jeannin & Karla Van Leeuwen

Authors
  1. Rozemarijn Jeannin
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  2. Karla Van Leeuwen
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Correspondence to Rozemarijn Jeannin.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Items direct PDT

Scales

Support (12 items)

When we do a good job, mom/dad tells us ‘well done’ or gives us a hug or kiss

Mom/dad goes on pleasure-trips with each of us separately

Mom/dad takes part in cheering for our hobby’s or school festivities

Mom/dad hugs or kisses us

Mom/dad takes part in sport, hobby’s or games that we enjoy

When there is something we don’t understand, mom/dad tries to explain it to us

When a decision concerns us, mom/dad listens to our opinion about it

Mom/dad helps us with our homework.

Mom/dad dedicates time to us

Mom/dad keeps supervision

Mom/dad gets along with us well

Mom/dad allows us extra privileges

Strictness (4 items)

Mom/dad punishes us when we misbehave

Mom/dad reprimands us when we misbehave

Mom/dad gets angry when we fight with our sibling

Mom/dad is strict with us

Responsibility/autonomy demands (4 items)

Mom/dad asks us to take care of one another, to keep an eye on each other

Mom/dad gives us permission to do things on our own (such as biking to school, going to the local bakery…)

Mom/dad allows us to do things independently

Mom/dad provides us with responsibilities

Appendix 2

Guttman’s lambda’s for children’s direct ratings of PDT

 

Earlier-born about mother

Earlier-born about father

Later-born about mother

Later-born about father

Support

    

λ1

0.60

0.55

0.62

0.60

λ2

0.64

0.62

0.69

0.67

λ3/α

0.62

0.60

0.68

0.65

λ4

0.65

0.66

0.67

0.63

λ5

0.63

0.61

0.67

0.65

λ6

0.64

0.63

0.69

0.68

Strictness

    

λ1

0.52

0.50

0.50

0.52

λ2

0.70

0.66

0.67

0.69

λ3/α

0.69

0.66

0.67

0.69

λ4

0.68

0.63

0.63

0.73

λ5

0.69

0.65

0.67

0.69

λ6

0.64

0.60

0.61

0.64

Responsibility

    

λ1

0.50

0.52

0.42

0.45

λ2

0.67

0.70

0.57

0.61

λ3/α

0.66

0.70

0.56

0.60

λ4

0.64

0.64

0.61

0.57

λ5

0.65

0.68

0.55

0.61

λ6

0.60

0.65

0.50

0.54

  1. λ1 considers that all of an item variance is error and that only the inter-item covariances reflect true variability; λ2 is a modification of λ1 that considers the square root of the sums of squares of the off diagonal elements; λ3 is equivalent with Cronbach’s alpha; λ4 is the greatest split-half reliability; λ5 is a modification of λ1 that replaces the diagonal values with twice the square root of the maximum (across items) of the sums of squared inter-item covariances; λ6 considers the variance of errors (Revelle and Zinbarg 2009, pp. 147–149)

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Jeannin, R., Van Leeuwen, K. Associations Between Direct and Indirect Perceptions of Parental Differential Treatment and Child Socio-Emotional Adaptation. J Child Fam Stud 24, 1838–1855 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9987-3

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