Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Maxwell V. Rainforth

Abstract

Positive parenting promotes children's proper cognitive and personality development and supports high academic performance and achievement. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between social support and positive parenting practices among two-parent, African American families of preteens. This study was based on Baumrind's model of parenting behaviors. Survey and correlation methods were used to gather data from a convenience sample of 103 2-parent, African American families with preteens (aged 9-11 years) from different income neighborhoods in a Northeastern metropolitan region of the United States. Logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted. According to study findings, social support (coparenting support and perceived functional support from friends and family) significantly predicted positive parenting practices (quality of the parent/child relationship, parental monitoring, and consistency of parents' disciplinary practices). When the independent contributions of each of the social support variables were examined in the regression analyses, only perceived functional support from friends and family on parental monitoring and consistency of parents' disciplinary practices was statistically significant. Implications for positive social change include a need to educate 2-parent, African American couples on the importance of maintaining positive relationships among themselves and with social support networks and the role that coparenting support and functional support from friends and family has on positive parenting.

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