Date

11-11-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

M. Diane Pearce

Keywords

parenting styles, temperament, child mental health, childhood anxiety, childhood, depression, ADHD

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine how the interaction between child temperament and parenting dimensions relates to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6-12 years. While previous research has identified that temperament and parenting are independent factors in the development of child mental health, few studies have investigated how specific combinations of these factors can influence child mental health. This study recruited 118 participants from schools, clinics, and other community organizations in South Carolina's Lowcountry. Parents completed four standardized measures, including the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form (CBQ-VSF) to assess temperament, the Parenting Style Inventory II (PSI II) to identify parenting dimensions, the Brief Problem Monitor Parent form (BPM-P) to measure attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms, and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Parent Short Form (RCADS-P-25) to measure anxiety and depression symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the main and interaction effects. Significant interactions were found for all three mental health outcomes. The relationship between negative affectivity and anxiety varied according to autonomy granting, negative affectivity and depression varied depending on responsiveness, and surgency/extraversion and ADHD varied according to responsiveness. These findings can help parents with parenting practices that consider both child characteristics and environment.

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