Risk, conflict, mothers' parenting, and children's adjustment in low-income, Mexican immigrant, and Mexican American families

Structural equation modeling was used to test mothers' supportive parenting and inconsistent discipline practices as mediators of the effects of multiple risk factors and family conflict on children's conduct disorder and depression. Data were collected from 121 predominantly Spanish-speaking, low-income, Mexican immigrant and Mexican American families. Separate process models were tested for children's and mothers' reports. For children's reports, mothers' supportive parenting partially mediated the effects of family conflict on children's depression. For mothers' reports, inconsistent discipline practices fully mediated the influence of multiple risk factors on children's depression and partially mediated the influence of multiple risk factors on children's conduct disorder. Only children's reports showed direct effects between family conflict and children's conduct disorder and depression. Higher levels of maternal acculturation were related to lower levels of inconsistent discipline practices and less depression in children.