Strength-based Parenting

Prof. Lea Waters PhD

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

Let’s start with an exercise

Seligman’s (1998) APA Presidential address

“Ideally, psychology should be able to help document what kind of families result in the healthiest

children.”(American Psychologist, 1999 , 54, p.560)

The early calls: 1998

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

“Raising children…is vastly more than fixing what is wrong with them. It is

about identifying and nurturing their strongest qualities, what they own and are best at, and helping them find niches in which they can best

live out these strengths.”

(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 6)

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

“Raising children…is vastly more than fixing what is wrong with them. It is

about identifying and nurturing their strongest qualities, what they own and are best at, and helping them find niches in which they can best

live out these strengths.”

(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 6)

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

Your child is stronger than you think

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

What is strength-based parenting?

“A style of parenting that seeks to deliberately identify and cultivate positive states, positive processes and positive

qualities in children”

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

Two-factor Model of Strengths

Strengths knowledgeA person’s

awareness and recognition of their strengths

Strengths useHow much a person uses

their strengths in a variety of

settings

Govindji and Linley (2007)

A style of parenting that seeks to deliberately identify & cultivate strengths

Strengths knowledge

Strengths use

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

What happens when parents help their kids to see and use their strengths?

Waters, L. (2015). Strength-Based Parenting and Life Satisfaction in Teenagers, Advances in Social Sciences, 2,

158-173.

How do kids rate their parents

• My parents easily see the strengths in me (my personality, abilities, talents, and skills).

• My parents can easily see the things I do best.

• My parents show me how to use my strengths in different situations.

Explaining Teenager Life Satisfaction

Authoritative parenting

Other aspect of lifesatisfaction

16%

Explaining Teenager Life Satisfaction

Authoritative Parenting

Strength-based parenting

Other aspects of lifesatisfaction

16%

19%

Life satisfaction

Time 1

Life Satisfaction

Time 2

SBP predicts life satisfaction one year later

Life satisfaction

Time 1

SBP

Time 1

Life satisfaction

Time 2

SBP predicts life satisfaction one year later

Why does SBP increase life satisfaction?

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

Strengths knowledgeA parent’s

awareness and recognition of

their child’s strengths

Strengths useHow much a

parent encourages their

child to uses his/her strengths

in a variety of settings

Teen’sstrengths

knowledge

Teen’sstrengths

use

Life Satisfaction

PositiveAffect

Negative Affect

Waters, L. (2015). Strength-Based Parenting and Life Satisfaction in Teenagers, Advances in Social Sciences, 2,

158-173.

Matched parent-teen dyad study

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

Matched parent-teen dyad

Parent reported Knowledge of

their teensstrengths

Parent reported

encouragement of teen

strengths use

Teen’sstrengths

knowledge

Teen’sstrengths use

Life satisfaction

Waters, L. (2015). Strength-Based Parenting and Life Satisfaction in Teenagers, Advances in Social Sciences, 2, 158-173.

Jach, H., Sun, J., Loton, D., Chin, TC., & Waters, L. (2017).

Strengths and Subjective Wellbeing in Adolescence:

Strength-Based Parenting and the Moderating Effect of

Mindset. Journal of Happiness Studies

Does mindset matter?

Does mindset matter?

Teen’s Subjectivewellbeing

Strength-based

parenting

Teen’s mindset

Teen’sstrengths

use

SBP: Beyond subjective Wellbeing

Waters, L., Loton, D., & Jach, H. (in press).

Does Strength-Based Parenting Predict

Academic Achievement? The Mediating

Effects of Perseverance and Engagement,

Journal of Happiness Studies

SBP and grades

Academic grades

Strength-based

parenting

engagement

perseverance

Start of Term 2 Mid Year grades

What about SBP for younger kids?

Waters, L. (2015). The Relationship between Strength-Based Parenting with Children’s Stress Levels and Strength-Based Coping

Approaches, Psychology, 6, 689-699

@ProfLeaWaters @ProfLeaWaters Lea Waters

SBP and stress in children

Child’sStress levels

Strength-based

parenting

Child’sstrengths

use

Child’sstrengths COPING

Relationship stress

Task-relatedstress

Waters, L., & Sun, J. (2017). Can a Brief Strength-Based Parenting

Intervention Boost Self-Efficacy and Positive Emotions in Parents?

International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology.

What about the parents themselves?

Quasi-experimental, waitlist-control design

Pre-test137 parents

Positive emotions towards children

Self-efficacy in parent role

N = 724 week

intervention

N = 65Waitlist group

Post-test126 parents

Positive emotions towards children

Self-efficacy in parent role

SBP changes the way parents see themselves and their kids

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Learn more about SBP

The Strength Switch course

www.strengthswitch.com

Practice being strength-based