Parental warmth and parent-child conflict among U.S. Latinx families in middle childhood.

Abstract

Grounded in family systems theory and using latent profile analysis, the present study examined (a) patterns of parent-child warmth and parent-child conflict within multiple dyads (mother-older child, mother-younger child, father-older child, father-younger child) among 305 U.S. Latinx families with fifth graders (M_age = 10.6; 46.6% female) and younger siblings (M_age = 8.20; 47.2% female) and (b) tested links of profile membership with child academic competence, negative peer relationships, and depressive symptoms. Two profiles were characterized by differential maternal and paternal warmth toward older versus younger siblings, with one of the profiles characterized by higher levels of conflict than the other, and a third profile included families where parent-child dyads were similar in their levels of moderately high warmth and low conflict. Profile membership was concurrently linked with children's academic competence, peer relationships, and depressive symptoms, with notable within-family differences for older versus younger siblings. Findings underscore the value of studying families as interrelated subsystems by capturing multiple dimensions of two children's relationships with mothers and fathers and provide insights for family-based prevention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).