Comparing parental stress and parental efficacy based on the age of the child as determined by the Parenting Stress Index and the Parent-Child Relationship Inventory among immigrant Hispanic and Latino families

Parental stress, parental efficacy, and parent-child relationships have been widely studied, whereas findings report parenting decisions can result in positive and negative outcomes in child development (Mowder, 2005). Belsky (1984) suggests that many determinants influence parenting practices and ideas including parental stress and social support. Parenting stress is present in any given culture; however, maternal psychological distress directly related to immigration is associated with child behavior problems and difficulties in mothers\u27 interactions with their children (Biglan, Hops, & Sherman, 1988; Forehand, Lautenschlager, Faust, & Graziano, 1986, as cited in Johnston & Short, 1997). Hispanic/Latino immigrants are currently the largest immigrant ethnic group in the United States, which is the largest in history, with 39.9 million immigrants in the United States (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). Research has shown that immigrant families experience higher levels of stress associated with the immigration and acculturation process as well as additional factors that are associated with parenthood. Prior research has shown that levels of parental stress and parental efficacy were correlated with the age of the child and behaviors in children. The current study aimed to identify correlations between parental efficacy, parental stress and possible predictions by the age of the child. Pearson Correlations and descriptive statistics were calculated. Results indicated that there were no significant correlations between parental stress, parental efficacy and age of the child. Additionally, there were no correlations between parent gender and the variables reported in the study. Results suggest that parental stress and efficacy are independent of the child\u27s age