392 - Influence of Maternal Grit and Parenting Style on Maternally-Rated Child Grit at 36 Months

Poster Number: 392
Publication Number: 392.378

Background: Grit, defined as the unwavering commitment to a goal despite obstacles, has positive impacts on children’s academic achievement and mental health. Grit is a skill that can be nurtured through modeling and parenting style. Specifically, authoritative parenting, characterized by high responsiveness and demandingness, has been positively correlated with grit. It has been suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect child development. Given this context, it becomes imperative to investigate the factors contributing to the early development of grit in children. This knowledge is crucial for designing effective interventions and support systems to help these children attain their full potential.

Objective: Evaluate associations between maternal grit, maternal parenting styles, and child grit in children born during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/Methods: This study utilized data from the COVID-19 Mother-Baby Outcomes (COMBO) initiative at Columbia University. When children were 36 months old mothers reported on their parenting styles, and their perceptions of their own and their child’s level of grit. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ; n=159) was administered to assess authoritative parenting style. Maternal grit was measured using the Duckworth Short Grit Scale (n=159). Child grit was assessed using a 6-item questionnaire adapted from Sutter, Untertrifaller, and Zoller (n=133). Questions on this measure were scored using a 5-point Likert scale and internal consistency of this measure was evaluated using Cronbach's α (α = 0.70) Structural equation modeling (SEM) in Mplus was used to explore a path model that tested the direct and indirect (via parenting style) effect of maternal grit on child grit covarying for number of children in the household on parenting style. RMediation was used to estimate the indirect effect of maternal grit via parenting style.

Results: SEM showed a good model fit (X2= 0.315, RMSEA = 0.0, CFI = 1.0, SRMR = 0.015). Maternal grit was associated with higher levels of child grit (B= 0.198, p=0.036) and authoritative parenting (B= 0.271, p= < 0.001). However, the indirect effect of maternal grit on child grit via authoritative parenting was not significant (M=0.115, 95% CI = [-0.22, 0.496]).

Conclusion(s): Higher maternal grit scores relate to increased maternally rated child grit and an authoritative parenting style. However, the association between maternal and child grit is not mediated by authoritative parenting, emphasizing the importance of maternal gritty behavior in child grit development.