The Relation of Parental Rejection with Child Externalizing Behaviors: Household Chaos and Perceived Neighborhood Danger as Moderators

This study examined the relation of parental rejection and child externalizing behaviors as moderated by child reported household chaos and perceived neighborhood danger. Surveys were administered to 70 fathers, 88 mothers, and 91 children in Quezon City, Philippines during the fifth year of the Parenting Across Cultures Project, a longitudinal study conducted in nine countries to understand how parents’ cognition and behavior affect children. Moderation analysis showed that the relation of parental rejection with child externalizing behavior depends on its interaction with household chaos and perceived neighborhood danger. In addition, parental rejection is not a significant predictor of child externalizing behaviors when the value of the specific environmental factors as moderators is zero. Results suggest that the outcome varies and it is conditional depending on the levels of the moderators. The study also provided further evidence for the importance of environmental factors such as the characteristics of the home as well as one’s perception of the neighborhood in the relation of parent behaviors and child outcomes. Further research on risk as well as protective environmental factors and the development of programs to improve the home and neighborhood environment are important