Predictors of Positive and Negative Parenting Practices Among Mothers of Two-to-Three-Year-Old Children: Findings From Tirana, Albania

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to determine the predictors of positive and negative parenting practices among mothers of two-to-three-year-old children in Tirana, Albania. Cross-sectional data were obtained from a representative sample of 328 mothers of two-to-three-year-old children recruited through eight randomly selected public nurseries in Tirana. Results from bivariate regressions showed significant associations between the key relevant maternal characteristics and maternal parenting practices, in line with previous studies conducted in Western societies. Results from multiple regressions showed that maternal attitudes towards child maltreatment were a dominant significant predictor of negative parenting practices (punitive parenting, inconsistent parenting, and child maltreatment) and that maternal sense of parental competence was a dominant significant predictor of positive parenting practices. The findings suggest a strong, consistent link between maternal belief systems and parenting practices among mothers of toddlers in Tirana and call for the implementation of parent training programmes that address attitudes towards child maltreatment and sense of parental competence in the Albanian society.