The mediating effects of parenting style on the relationship between parental stress and behavioral problems in girls with precocious puberty in Korea: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of parenting style on the relationship between parental stress and behavioral problems of girls with precocious puberty.

Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed a convenience sample of 200 mothers of girls with precocious puberty at a university hospital located in a metropolitan area. The Parental Stress measurement, Parents as Social Context Questionnaire, and Korean version Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) 6–18 were measured via self-report questionnaires. Descriptive, t-test, Pearson correlation, and bootstrapping analyses were used to analyze the data.

Results Negative parenting styles had a full mediating effect on the relationship between parental stress and internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems.

Conclusions Care plans for parents of girls with precocious puberty should be designed and applied in health care settings to reduce internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems by decreasing negative parenting styles.