Potentially Violent Disagreements and Parenting Stress Among American Indian/Alaska Native Families: Analysis Across Seven States

摘要

Objectives We examined the prevalence and correlates of potentially violent disagreements among AI/AN families with children. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional examination of data from the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health, limited to seven states for which AI/AN race/ethnicity was available in public use files (Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota). Disagreements were classified based on how the family deals with conflict. If disagreements involved actual (hitting) or symbolic (throwing) violence, even rarely, the household was categorized as having “potentially violent disagreements,” with heated argument and shouting being classified as “heated disagreement.” Parenting stress and demographic characteristics were included as potential correlates. Results Potentially violent disagreements were reported by 8.4% of AI/AN and 8.4% of white families. The odds for potentially violent disagreements were markedly higher among parents reporting high parenting stress, in both AI/AN (OR 7.20; CI 3.45–15.00) and white (3.59, CI 2.71–4.75) families. High parenting stress had similar effects on the odds for heated discussion. Having a child with special health care needs was associated with parenting stress. Conclusions Questions about disagreement style may be useful as potential screens for domestic violence.