Parents and children together (PaCT)

: a tri-directional examination of parental personality, adolescent traits, parenting, and context in affecting adolescent behavioural strengths and difficulties

Abstract

There has been an extensive body of research on parental personality, parenting behaviour, and offspring developmental outcomes. However, no work yet has been done to synthesise the results, which is necessary to establish consistent results across studies and provide directions for new research on parental personality and offspring outcomes. Therefore, in the first chapter of this thesis a systematic review and critical synthesis is presented of research on parental personality, offspring outcomes, and an intervening variable (e.g., parenting behaviour, socioeconomic status [SES]). This review resulted in the formulation of the Tri-Directional Framework of Parental Personality and Offspring Outcomes. The Framework highlights interactions between parental personality, offspring traits, and contextual factors in affecting offspring development. The Framework also prescribes that assessments of parental and offspring personality extend beyond the traditional Big Five to encompass a wider spectrum of personality. In line with this Framework, this thesis was conducted in two parts with a total of four studies. Specifically, this thesis sought to explore i) personality outside of the Big Five, including the Dark Triad, ii) associations and interactions among parental and adolescent personality, parenting behaviour, contextual factors, and adolescent behavioural strengths and difficulties, and iii) the moderating effects of SES and parents’ past adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on personality-parenting associations in both parents and adolescents.
Part 1, comprising study 1, utilised partial correlation networks and Exploratory Graph Analysis to examine the structure of the Dark Triad domains, both independently and as a cluster. Adults (Phase 1: N = 301; Phase 2: N = 224) completed six self-report questionnaires assessing Dark Triad domains; initial results were replicated with a validation sample. Part 1 informed Part 2 by providing evidence that (1) the Dirty Dozen (included in Part 2), over the Short Dark Triad, captured both vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, and (2) assessments of narcissism should include at least three major factors: antagonism, agentic extraversion, and narcissistic neuroticism. Part 2, comprising studies 2, 3, and 4, utilised hierarchical regression and network analyses to examine contextual and process factors, parental and adolescent personality, and parenting behaviour as predictors of adolescent behavioural strengths and difficulties. Parents (N = 310, 46.9% mothers, 93.7% White Irish/British or European) completed self-report assessments of socioeconomic status, past adverse childhood experiences, personality (Big Five and Dark Triad) and parenting style (e.g., parental warmth). Adolescents (N = 310, 48.7% female) completed self-report assessments of Dark Triad traits, perceived parenting (e.g., maternal warmth), and behavioural strengths and difficulties (e.g., externalizing behaviour). Results highlight the importance of assessing a wider spectrum of parental and adolescent personality in relation to the parent-offspring relationship and its impact on offspring development, and of moving beyond direct trait-outcome associations to examine contextual influences.

Thesis embargoed until 31 July 2024.

Date of Award	Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Konstantinos Papageorgiou (Supervisor) & Rhiannon Turner (Supervisor)