Intact Nuclear Families: Associations between Parental Styles and School Children’s Behavior

Abstract Regardless of family configurations, few studies address the concomitant assessment of mothers and fathers regarding their children’s behaviors and parenting practices. The objective was to compare and correlate the assessment of biological mothers and fathers of intact nuclear families on their parental practices and behavioral problems of their school-aged children. Fourth-two intact nuclear families answered to the following instruments: General Questionnaire, Parenting Style Inventory, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Raven Progressive Matrices Test - Special Scale. The quantitative analysis showed that mothers and fathers presented similar assessments regarding the behavior of their children, though mothers reported more positive practices than fathers. Negative parenting styles were positively correlated with child behavioral problems. These findings contribute to the planning of preventive strategies and interventions directed to families.