A qualitative analysis of autonomy‐supportive parenting in families experiencing homelessness

• Published date: 01 February 2022
• Author: Rebecca Distefano,Kayla M. Nelson,Ann S. Masten
• Date: 01 February 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12626

RESEARCH

A qualitative analysis of autonomy-supportive

parenting in families experiencing homelessness

Rebecca Distefano

1

|Kayla M. Nelson

2

|Ann S. Masten

2

1

National Center for Children and Families,

Teachers College, Columbia University, New

York, New York, USA

2

Institute of Child Development, University of

Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Correspondence

Rebecca Distefano, National Center for

Children and Families, Teachers College,

Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street,

New York, New York 10027 USA.

Email: rld2138@tc.columbia.edu

Funding information

University of Minnesota

Abstract

Objective: This exploratory qualitative study examined

whether parents of young children residing in emergency

housing endorse autonomy-supportive parenting values.

Background: Young children experiencing homelessness are

at increased risk for self-regulation difficulties, but one pos-

sible way to support self-regulation development during a

window of plasticity in the preschool period is through

autonomy-supportive parenting. Autonomy support has

been shown to uniquely predict early self-regulation skills.

However, there is also evidence to suggest that autonomy

support could be problematic in risky environments.

Method: Twenty-one parents of 3- to 6-year-old children

participated in a brief interview about parenting and self-

regulation development. Guided by self-determination the-

ory, the interviews were subsequently coded for themes

related to autonomy support.

Results: Parents endorsed ideas consistent with autonomy

support, such as recognizing children’s capabilities and lis-

tening to children’s ideas. However, parents also viewed

some behaviors, such as offering young children choices,

to be less acceptable.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that parents experiencing

homelessness may provide autonomy support in different

ways than parents in more stable living conditions or from

higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

Implications: Parenting interventions that aim to promote

early self-regulation development through autonomy-

supportive practices might consider tailoring intervention

components to align with the socialization priorities of

families experiencing homelessness.

KEYWORDS

autonomy-supportive parenting, early childhood, homelessness,

qualitative research

Received: 14 September 2020Revised: 28 February 2021Accepted: 7 June 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12626

© 2021 National Council on Family Relations

Family Relations. 2022;71:147–162.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 147

Although young children experiencing homelessness are at increased risk for academic difficul-

ties upon kindergarten entry (Manfra, 2019), researchers have identified a number of important

protective factors that support positive adaptation in contexts of heightened risk and adversity.

One of the most robust protective factors for homeless and highly mobile children is effective

self-regulation, which develops rapidly during the preschool period and sets the stage for future

success (Masten et al., 2012; Obradovi

c, 2010). Importantly, one way that children learn self-

regulation skills is through interactions with their caregivers (Bernier et al., 2010; Herbers

et al., 2014). Links between parenting and children’s self-regulation have been well-documented

across risk contexts (for review, see Fay-Stammbach et al., 2014), but there is also evidence that

effective parenting behaviors can vary depending on family circumstances (García Coll

et al., 1996; Magnuson & Duncan, 2002). This exploratory qualitative study was designed to

examine how parents residing in a homeless shelter support the development of self-regulation

skills in their children. Specifically, we focused on one set of parenting behaviors—autonomy

support—that is uniquely associated with children’s self-regulation development in stably

housed families but rarely studied in the context of family homelessness.

SELF-REGULATION AND PARENTING AS PROTECTIVE FACTORS

FOR CHILDREN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

Decades of research on resilience (i.e., the capacity to adapt to challenges) have identified a

number of factors associated with adaptive functioning in families experiencing risk and adver-

sity (Masten, 2018). Self-regulation skills appear to be a key protective factor for academic and

socioemotional competence among children experiencing homelessness (Masten et al., 2012;

Obradovi

c, 2010). Self-regulation refers to the cognitive and emotional processes involved in

managing one’s own behaviors (Nigg, 2017). Further, regulating one’s own behavior falls on a

continuum from heteronomy (i.e., behavior is influenced by external pressures) to autonomy

(i.e., behavior is fully self-endorsed), with the latter serving to facilitate positive adaptionacross

multiple contexts (Ryan et al., 2016). Developmental research on self-regulation indicates a

window of plasticity in early childhood (Montroy et al., 2016), making it a key period to foster

these skills in those at risk for self-regulation difficulties, such as children experiencing

homelessness.

Theoretical accounts of self-regulation development suggest that children learn to self-

regulate through interactions with effective external regulators (Vygotsky, 1978). Indeed, empir-

ical work with families experiencing homelessness demonstrates the critical role of caregivers in

self-regulation development. For example, Herbers et al. (2014) found that effective parenting

was positively associated with children’s self-regulation skills, which, in turn, predicted school

success. Leveraging the parent–child relationship in interventions may be one way to promote

self-regulation skills early in development to better prepare children experiencing homelessness

for school.

Parenting interventions have been successfully implemented in a shelter setting, but these

interventions tend to last many months, which is often longer than families stay in shelters

(Perlman et al., 2012). There is a need for brief, effective interventions for parents in emergency

housing given their mobility. In one promising intervention approach, Meuwissen and Car-

lson (2019) showed parents a short video demonstration of autonomy-supportive behaviors dur-

ing one laboratory study session. Parents who displayed low levels of autonomy support during

a pretest parent–child interaction task subsequently used more autonomy-supportive parenting

behaviors during a posttest dyadic interaction with their preschoolers. A brief intervention of

this kind could easily be adapted to a shelter setting. However, before implementing an auton-

omy support intervention in the context of emergency housing, it is essential to understand the

extent to which these parenting strategies are valued by families experiencing homelessness.

148 FAMILY RELATIONS