Parent predictors of changes in child behavior problems

• Single parenthood and parent involvement predicted changes in behavior problems.
• Parents' own social support predicted decreases in problem behavior for boys.
• Parent depression was associated with worsening behavior problems for girls.
• Ethnicity moderated the relations between predictors and changes in child behavior.
• Researchers should consider culture in studies of parenting and child behavior.

The present study examined whether ineffective discipline, single parent status, social support, parent involvement, and parent depression predicted changes in preschoolers' (N = 129) behavior problems. This study also evaluated whether child sex and ethnicity moderated the relations between these variables and changes in problem behavior. Parents completed questionnaires at the beginning of the study, and parent, teacher, and observational ratings of children's behavior problems were collected twice during the school year. Parents' own social support predicted improvement for boys and parent depression was associated with worsening symptoms for girls. Single parenthood and parent involvement predicted changes in behavior problems for the sample as a whole. Several significant ethnic differences emerged, highlighting the importance of considering cultural context in studies of parenting and child externalizing behavior.