The mediating effects of parenting style on the relationship between parental stress and behavioral problems in girls with precocious puberty in Korea: a cross-sectional study

Background: This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of parenting style on the relationship between parental stress and behavioral problems of girls with precocious puberty. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed a convenience sample of 200 mothers of girls with precocious puberty at a university hospital located in a metropolitan area. The Parental Stress measurement, Parents as Social Context Questionnaire, and Korean version Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) 6–18 were measured via self-report questionnaires. Descriptive, t-test, Pearson correlation, and bootstrapping analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: Negative parenting styles had a full mediating effect on the relationship between parental stress and internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. Conclusions: Care plans for parents of girls with precocious puberty should be designed and applied in health care settings to reduce internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems by decreasing negative parenting styles.