Peer-reviewed article
Cultural consonance profiles: A person-centered approach to cultural alignment and violent parenting among mothers of young children in the Dominican Republic.
Castro A, Sánchez-Vincitore LV ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view ·Key points
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Abstract
Background Cultural factors play a complex role in shaping parenting practices. Cultural consonance-the degree to which individuals' lives align with culturally shared expectations-may affect how parents navigate stress and employ violent discipline. This person-centered study examines how cultural consonance profiles relate to violent discipline and other parenting practices among mothers experiencing adversity. Methods We employed a person-centered approach with k-means clustering to identify profiles of cultural consonance across six domains (material goods, leisure activities, social support, family life, maternal role, paternal role) among 1019 mothers of children aged 24-48 months enrolled in social programs in Santo Domingo. We examined associations between profiles and family structure, maternal adversity exposure (adverse childhood experiences, intimate partner violence, depression), and parenting practices (cognitive stimulation, positive discipline, violent discipline). Results Five distinct clusters emerged that varied by family structure, age of maternity onset, and parenting strategies: (1) Globally High Consonance (n = 292); (2) Selective Family Consonance (n = 279); (3) Paternal Disconnection (n = 120); (4) Material Deprivation (n = 213); and (5) Global Disconnection (n = 115). Cluster 1 through Cluster 5 profiles differed significantly in adversity exposure and parenting practices, with the Global Disconnection profile showing the highest levels of ACEs (d = 1.14), intimate partner violence (d = 1.08), depression (d = 1.27), and use of violent discipline (d = 0.69-0.89). Conclusions Cultural consonance profiles reflect critical pathways linking cultural disconnection, maternal adversity, and violent parenting. The findings indicate that violence prevention interventions must address patterns of cultural alignment. Supporting cultural consonance, particularly in family dynamics domains, may provide a culturally grounded approach to reducing violence against children in contexts of adversity.