Abstract
Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are common in childhood and adolescence, with global estimates of 5.7%. While parenting practices are associated with DBDs, it is not clear whether these associations reflect causal effects or confounding. To strengthen causal inference, we meta-analyzed quasi-experimental evidence on the relationship between parenting practices and DBD symptoms. We conducted multilevel random-effects meta-analyses to pool results and assess evidence of heterogeneity and moderator analyses to further investigate potential sources of heterogeneity. We identified 45 studies that used data from 28 distinct cohorts (n = 38,591) and implemented seven different quasi-experimental methods. There was evidence of a causal effect of negative parenting practices on offspring DBD symptoms (Pearson's r = 0.13; 95% confidence interval, CI [0.09, 0.16]; 95% prediction interval, PI [-0.08, 0.35]; n = 30,677), but no effect of positive parenting practices (r = -0.06; 95% CI [-0.14, 0.02]; 95% PI [-0.39, 0.28]; n = 21,100). Moderator analyses indicated that the effect of negative parenting was consistent across offspring characteristics and maternal and paternal parenting but varied by type of quasi-experimental method, informant for the exposure and outcome, and study quality. The present study thus provides evidence of a small, harmful, causal effect of negative parenting practices on offspring DBDs. Effectively targeting such parenting practices could reduce the substantial societal burden of DBDs, with a potential 4% decrease in the global prevalence of DBD symptoms. This is equivalent to approximately 4.5 million school-aged children no longer meeting clinical thresholds for DBDs, which may reduce pressure on the criminal justice, health care, and social welfare sectors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).