Inconsistent Discipline as a Mediator between Maternal Distress and Children’s Conduct Problems in a Population Sample of Russian Children

Abstract The current study examines associations between family factors and children’s conduct problems. Participants were 442 families with children ranging in age from 3 to 8 years. Mothers provided data on their distress using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ), and on parenting practices using Parenting Practice Interview (PPI). They also scored children’s conduct problems using Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI). Of six parenting practices measured, inconsistent discipline was most closely related to maternal distress and conduct problems. Regression analyses indicated that inconsistent discipline partially mediated the relation between maternal distress and child conduct outcomes. The moderating effects of gender were also examined.