Predictors of Caregivers' Agreement Regarding the Wellbeing of Their Child

Restricted (Penn State Only)

Author:: Elder, Maria
Area of Honors:: Psychology
Degree:: Bachelor of Science
Document Type:: Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:: Amy Dyanna Marshall, Thesis Supervisor
Kenneth N. Levy, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:: child wellbeing
caregiver agreement
Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire
Emotion Regulation Checklist
Caregiver psychopathology
Caregiver stress
Parental stress
Parental psychopathology
Self-reports
Abstract:: This study was designed to contribute to the understanding of how caregivers’ stress and psychopathology influences their self-reports of their child’s well-being. Participants (N = 448, 53% women) were recruited from the Children, Intimate Relationships, Conflictual Life Events, and Stress (CIRCLES) Study and included partnered caregivers of a child 3-5 years of age who was eligible for Head Start services within urban and rural communities. Compared to female caregivers, male caregivers' stress and psychopathology was more strongly associated with discrepancies in their reports of their children’s wellbeing. In conclusion, male caregivers’ reports may be less reliable than female caregivers’ reports due to fluctuating stress and psychopathology levels, even though female caregivers’ psychopathology is associated with levels of their child’s health and wellbeing.