A study of 2,700 families in the US has shown how different combinations of parenting practices affect anxiety and aggression in children, according to infohub.kz.
A research team led by Xiaoye Xu, an assistant professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Cortland, published findings in the journal PLOS One on how parenting practices influence children's emotional state and behavior. The work used data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, covering more than 2,700 children and adolescents aged 5 to 18.
The authors identified three main parenting profiles: high positive parenting with good control, low positive parenting with moderate control, and moderate positive parenting with low control. The analysis showed that levels of externalizing problems (aggression, attention difficulties) and internalizing problems (anxiety, withdrawal, depression) were lowest among children whose parents combined emotional support with proper monitoring. The greatest behavioral difficulties were recorded in the low-control group.
Beyond the overall profiles, the researchers assessed individual parenting practices. Inconsistent discipline was directly linked to both externalizing and internalizing problems. Poor control was separately correlated with aggression and hyperactivity, but did not affect anxiety levels.
The authors note limitations: the survey was completed mostly by mothers (only 52 fathers participated), and the cross-sectional data do not allow strict causal conclusions.