Abstract
Objective: This exploratory qualitative study examined whether parents of young children residing in emergency housing endorse autonomy-supportive parenting values. Background: Young children experiencing homelessness are at increased risk for self-regulation difficulties, but one possible way to support self-regulation development during a window of plasticity in the preschool period is through autonomy-supportive parenting. Autonomy support has been shown to uniquely predict early self-regulation skills. However, there is also evidence to suggest that autonomy support could be problematic in risky environments. Method: Twenty-one parents of 3- to 6-year-old children participated in a brief interview about parenting and self-regulation development. Guided by self-determination theory, the interviews were subsequently coded for themes related to autonomy support. Results: Parents endorsed ideas consistent with autonomy support, such as recognizing children's capabilities and listening to children's ideas. However, parents also viewed some behaviors, such as offering young children choices, to be less acceptable. Conclusion: Findings suggest that parents experiencing homelessness may provide autonomy support in different ways than parents in more stable living conditions or from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Implications: Parenting interventions that aim to promote early self-regulation development through autonomy-supportive practices might consider tailoring intervention components to align with the socialization priorities of families experiencing homelessness.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 147-162 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Family relations |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study is based on part of the first author's doctoral dissertation and was supported by a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship and a College of Education and Human Development small grant from the University of Minnesota (RD) and the Irving B. Harris Professorship (ASM). The authors would like to thank the families who participated and shared their lives with us, as well as the undergraduate research assistants who helped with this work: Marissa Rockenbach and Risa Roth.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 National Council on Family Relations
