Examining variations along different parenting dimensions.
Despite significant progress in understanding parenting and its effects for children’s development , there are ongoing debates about how best to conceptualize and measure it . For decades, parenting was characterized in terms of global, consistent, and stable parenting styles. However, studies examining variations along different parenting dimensions now predominate, due to concerns about whether styles accurately capture contextual variations and have the same meaning in different groups. These concerns also have led to new, more granular and ‘domain-specific’ models that are more flexible and situational. These issues are discussed below, along with recommendations for future directions in studying parenting . Research on parenting is moving towards ever-greater specificity. This has led to a more refined understanding of parenting, particularly regarding different forms of control and their links with adjustment. Research has upended the common wisdom about the importance o...