Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Julie Hicks Patrick.

Abstract

Prior research has indicated that anticipated parenting efficacy, the degree to which individuals perceive that they will be an effective parent, predicts their later parenting competency (Coleman et al., 2002; Teti & Gelfand, 1991). Although additional correlates of parenting efficacy have been identified, such as knowledge of childhood development (Conrad, Gross, Fogg, & Ruchala, 1992) and prior contact with children (Coleman & Karraker, 2000; Williams et al., 1987), little research has examined the predictors of anticipated parenting efficacy. The current study examined anticipated parenting efficacy in a sample of 481 younger adults. Participants completed self-administered on-line surveys related to their biological sex, knowledge of childhood development, prior contact with children, affinity for children, and their masculinity and femininity.;Results of a hierarchical linear regression showed that by itself, biological sex was a unique predictor of anticipated parenting efficacy (F(1, 478) = 4.01, p < .05; (R2 = .01), beta = -.52). However, when knowledge, contact, affinity, femininity and masculinity were entered in subsequent steps, the effects of biological sex were significantly reduced F(3, 473) = 12.30, p .05). These results indicate that sex differences in anticipated parenting efficacy can be better understood by examining other correlates with sex, such as affinity for children and gender roles.

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