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A Within-Group Analysis of African American Mothers’ Authoritarian Attitudes, Limit-Setting and Children’s Self-Regulation

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Abstract

Research suggests that higher levels of authoritarian parenting exist in African American (AA) families than in European American (EA) families, and that authoritarian attitudes may be associated with more positive outcomes in AA families than EA families. However, less is known about authoritarian attitudes and children’s development within AA families. This within-group study of 50 African American mothers and their 3-year-old children examined associations between maternal authoritarian attitudes, observed maternal limit-setting strategies, and children’s self-regulation during a limit-setting interaction. The findings indicate that while AA families may hold more authoritarian attitudes than EA families, the direction of effect of authoritarian attitudes on children’s outcomes appears to be the same in both ethnic groups. In this sample, when examining AA authoritarian attitudes relative to those of other AA mothers, less or lower authoritarian attitudes were associated with authoritative limit-setting behavior (firm limits within the context of overall warmth and responsiveness) and better children’s self-regulation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Judy Brasch, Jahaira Capellan, Jobena Robinson, Christina White, and Kiera Anderson at the University of Rochester for their assistance with data collection, management, and/or coding.

Funding

The project described in this publication was supported in part by the University of Rochester CTSA award number UL1 RR 024160 from the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, 3455 US Veterans SN-6S, Portland, OR, 97239, USA

    Elizabeth A. LeCuyer

  2. Counseling and Human Development, University of Rochester Warner School, Rochester, NY, 14627-0425, USA

    Dena Phillips Swanson

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  1. Elizabeth A. LeCuyer
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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. LeCuyer.

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All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional internal research review board and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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LeCuyer, E.A., Swanson, D.P. A Within-Group Analysis of African American Mothers’ Authoritarian Attitudes, Limit-Setting and Children’s Self-Regulation. J Child Fam Stud 26, 833–842 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0609-0

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