Challenging parenting behavior in ethnically diverse two-parent families in the United States: Association with infants' social competence and behavior problems.

• Challenging parenting behaviors (CPB) challenge children to go beyond their zone of comfort in a playful, encouraging manner. Research with middle class White families has shown that fathers' CPB is associated with reduced anxiety in children. • In our low-income ethnically diverse US sample, mothers and fathers of infants engage in CPB at similar levels. • CPB was not associated with infants' social competence and behavior problems at 12 months, suggesting that among ethnic minority parents the function of CPB may vary. • This study shows the need for more research understanding the normative development of infant development and parenting in diverse families. We used data from a sample of ethnically diverse first-time parents (N = 186) in the United States to examine differences between mothers' and fathers' challenging parenting behavior (CPB) when infants were 9 months old as well as covariates of CPB. We also examined associations between CPB and infants' social competence and behavior problems when they were 12 months old. Results showed no differences between mothers and fathers in the level of CPB with their infants. Mothers with more depressive symptoms engaged in more CPB. Over and above the contributions of infants' gender and temperament and parents' education, mothers' and fathers' CPB was not associated with infants' social competence and behavior problems. This study expands our understanding of the universality of CPB and whether it is associated with social competence in ethnically diverse families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]