Mothering in context: Ecological determinants of parent behavior

How characteristics of parents, children, and the family context relate to mothers' parenting were explored in a sample of 73 mothers and their 5- to 7-year-old children. Maternal authoritativeness was significantly correlated with retrospective attachment security, social support, marital satisfaction, prosocial child behavior, and socioeconomic status. Although these constructs were interrelated, concurrently-assessed parent, child, and contextual-level variables also had unique and significant relations with parenting. Mothers who experienced many stressors stemming from their personal adjustment, social relationships, and children's behaviors were more likely to demonstrate insensitivity during parent-child interactions than participants reporting fewer stressors. Mediated pathways among these theorized predictors of parenting were explored, and findings were generally consistent with Belsky's (1984) process model of parenting.