"Hostile" Parenting Puts Children At Risk Of Lasting Mental Health Problems, Finds Study

Parenting styles that include physical discipline or overcontrolling behaviour were found to nearly double the risk for their children to develop mental health symptoms, according to a new study. 

The research, published in the medical journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, followed more than 7,500 children in Ireland from 9 months old until they were up to 9 years old. The researchers at the University of Cambridge and University College Dublin found that children exposed to "hostile parenting" at age three were 1.5 times likelier than their peers to have mental health symptoms which qualified as "high-risk" by age nine. 

"Our findings suggest that hostile parenting should be avoided as much as possible in early childhood if we want to prevent children from developing increased mental health symptoms," said lead author Dr Ioannis Katsantonis, a doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge.

"We found that children in the high-risk class had parents with greater stress and greater likelihood of ongoing physical and mental health problems. These parents might need additional support and resources to address their own needs and enhance their parenting skills," Dr Katsantonis added. 

Further, the researchers explained that hostile parenting involves frequent harsh treatment and discipline and can be physical or psychological. It may involve shouting at children regularly, routine physical punishment, isolating children when they misbehave, damaging their self-esteem, or punishing children unpredictably depending on the parent's mood. 

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The researchers also used a second standard assessment to measure the parenting style children experienced at age three. Parents were profiled based on how far they inclined towards each of three styles: warm parenting (supportive and attentive to their child's needs); consistent (setting clear expectations and rules); and hostile.

Consistent parenting was found to be mildly protective in children at lower risk for developing mental health symptoms. "Consistent parenting may help because it provides children with a sense of predictability and security, which can act as a buffer against worsening mental health," said Dr Katsantonis. 

The researchers did not find any change in risk for mental health symptoms with "warm" parenting styles. "This underlines the fact that parenting is not the only factor shaping mental health. The impacts of low income, living in a lone-parent household, being a female child, facing health issues or having parents with health problems could all to some extent absorb any positive benefits of warm parenting in terms of mental health," the researchers said.

Notably, the study also makes it clear that parenting style does not completely determine mental health outcomes. Children's mental health is shaped by multiple risk factors, including gender, physical health and socioeconomic status, the researchers clarified.