Levels of stress as reported by parents and its relationship to their child's cognitive abilities

The purpose of this study was to examine if any relationship exists between Parenting Stress Index factors and child's cognitive abilities (Cattell-Hom-Carroll Theory of general intelligence). The participant population consisted of 16 mothers and 16 children. The cognitive abilities were measured by using one of the following measures: (1) Kauffman Assessment Battery for Children -Second Edition, KABC-II, (Kaufinan & Kaufman, 2004), (2) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, WISC-IV, (Wechsler 2003), and/or (3) Woodcock Johnson Ill Test of Cognitive Abilities, WJ III COG, (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001). The results from the Parenting Stress Index, (Abidin, 1995) factors had both positive and negative influences on cognitive processes. The results indicated negative effects of distractibility, demandingness, and mood on long term retrieval, processing speed, auditory processing, and fluid intelligence. Conversely, distractibility, adaptability, and demandingness seemed to improve the cognitive processes of auditory processing, crystallized intelligence, and short term memory. Thus, distractibility and demandingness had both positive and negative influences on the cognitive processes.