Predicting parenting practices from maternal and adolescent sons’ personality

We investigated interrelations among maternal and adolescent personality, and parenting practices that have been implicated in the development of disruptive behavior problems. Participants were 174 mothers and their sons age 11–16 years. Mothers and adolescents each reported on their own personalities and maternal parenting practices. Significant correlations were found between parenting practices and both maternal and adolescent personality. Personality scales assessing Positive Temperament domain traits predicted positive—but not negative—parenting; Negative Temperament domain traits and mothers’ Disinhibition-related traits did the reverse, and sons’ Disinhibition-related traits predicted both positive and negative parenting. Both maternal and adolescent personality significantly predicted all parenting practices. Adolescent personality moderated relations between maternal personality and three parenting dimensions: Positive Parenting, Poor Monitoring/Supervision, and Corporal Punishment.