Search

Although parents' parenting stress has been found to be related to coparenting, existing research has mostly focused only on one parent or examined the unidirectional effects between the two factors. The present study investigated the actor and partner effects as well as the bidirectional association between parents' parenting stress and coparenting in Chinese society. The study participants were 522 Chinese father−mother dyads with elementary school‐aged children who followed for two measurement occasions (half a year apart). The cross‐lagged actor‐partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to examine the actor effects and partner effects in the bidirectional associations between both parents' parenting stress and coparenting. The findings revealed that both fathers' and mothers' parenting stress significantly negatively predicted their spouses' coparenting (partner effects), and mothers' coparenting significantly negatively predicted their spouses' parenting stress (partner effects). However, the actor effects between parents' parenting stress and coparenting were not significant. Furthermore, there were significant bidirectional associations between fathers' parenting stress and mothers' coparenting. Findings from the present study reveal the dynamic interaction between parenting stress and coparenting. The results point to the need for providing preventive interventions to parents with high levels of parenting stress and establishing a collaborative interaction framework between parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between parental psychological wellbeing, parenting, children's psychological difficulties, and prosocial behavior in Kahramanmaraş earthquake‐affected families living in Türkiye in 2023. To this end, a mediation model was proposed for parental psychological distress that was hypothesized to exert an indirect effect on a child's psychological difficulties and prosocial behavior through parenting. Participants were 358 preschoolers between 4 and 6 years old and their one parent (father or mother) who completed a set of validated self‐report surveys in a cross‐sectional design study. Results showed positive associations between parental psychological distress and child's psychological difficulties but negative association with child's prosocial behavior. Furthermore, quality of parenting mediated the association between parental psychological distress and child's psychological difficulties and prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest that positive parenting may serve as a protective mechanism that mediates the association between parental psychological distress and a child's psychological difficulties and prosocial behaviors among families displaced by a natural disaster like an earthquake. These findings point to the need for supporting positive parent–child relationships in addition to decreasing the psychological distress of parents when exposed to potentially traumatizing events like this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study examines Latter‐day Saint (LDS) parents' process in coming to accept a transgender or gender diverse (TGD) child and the factors that impact acceptance. Data come from interviews with 38 LDS parents of TGD children and 130 Facebook posts from the same population. Data were analyzed using CGT methodology in coding and theory construction. A model of LDS parents' process in accepting a TGD child and the factors that impact that process are presented. The results indicate that coming to accept a TGD child tends to engage LDS parents cognitively, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, and is a developmental process. We identified four stages of parents' process: assimilation of new information, deconstruction and disequilibrium, reconstruction and accommodation, and acceptance; as well as typical emotional responses in each stage. We found that factors that impacted parents' process included parents' pre‐process characteristics and contexts, religiously defined meaning making, social embeddedness, external resources, community building, and spiritual autonomy. Additionally, we found that parents' commitment to their child's wellbeing and connection with their child (i.e., attachment) motivates their process and that their personal spiritual experiences tend to guide it. Parents in the study who reached a state of acceptance expressed that their process had been both deeply challenging and profoundly, personally meaningful. This study strengthens the case for using attachment‐based therapies with this population and indicates the value of incorporating spirituality into the therapeutic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racially ethnically marginalized communities in the United States are exposed to structural and interpersonal forms of racism that have harmful effects on their health, wealth, education, and employment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Racism and Health. https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/racism‐disparities/index.html, 2021). Although a plethora of research exists outlining these harmful effects, research examining how youth from diverse backgrounds effectively combat racism is lacking. Emerging research demonstrates that families may play a key role in the development of critical consciousness and participation in anti‐racist actions (Bañales et al., Journal of Social Issues, 2021, 77, 964; Blanco Martinez et al., American Journal of Community Psychology, 2022, 70, 278; Lozada et al., Journal of Black Psychology, 2017, 43, 493). Yet, many key family processes have not been examined in relation to youth development of anti‐racist practices. The current study included a sample of 327 racially ethnically diverse emerging adults (Mage = 18.80, SD = 1.28, range = 18–25), and explored the association between ethnic–racial socialization (cultural socialization, preparation for bias) and youth critical consciousness (reflection, motivation, action) and anti‐racist (interpersonal, communal, political change) actions, and how familism values impact these associations. Results found that ethnic–racial socialization was positively associated with all aspects of critical consciousness and anti‐racist actions. Results also found that familism significantly interacted with ethnic–racial socialization to predict some aspects of critical consciousness and anti‐racist actions, but not others. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co‐parenting, the undertaking of parents working together to raise their children, is well documented as an important consideration of children's adjustment in Western countries, but we know less about the role of co‐parenting in other cultures. In China, for example, co‐parenting has only recently emerged in the social science literature. This study aimed to examine the cultural sensitivity of the CoPAFS instrument among Chinese Mandarin‐speaking parents. CoPAFS is a 27‐item survey designed to assess co‐parenting across married and unmarried family structures originally developed in English. Data were collected from 729 Chinese‐speaking and 348 English‐speaking respondents. Factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the overall model fit for the translated co‐parenting measure was acceptable in Mandarin. However, the five CoPAFS subscales (trust, respect, communication, acrimony, and value) differed across comparison groups, with communication notable for its lack of endorsement among Chinese couples. Implications of measuring co‐parenting within Chinese families are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How Black Americans in the United States (U.S.) make sense of a sociopolitical climate marked by racist imagery, tensions, and police violence is important to understand given the numerously documented detrimental effects of racism‐related stress on the well‐being of Black parents and children. Informed by Racism‐Related Stress Theory, the current study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design to better understand the ways racism‐related stressors in the sociopolitical climate impacted the daily lives and mental health of a sample of Black families with low income. Seventy‐eight Black American preadolescents (Mage = 11.0; 43.6% girls) and their parents (79% mothers; 76% living below the U.S. federal poverty level [FPL]) from the southwestern U.S. reported their symptoms of depression and how they had been affected by racial stressors in the sociopolitical climate between Fall 2018 and Summer 2019. A nested sample of 10 parents (80% mothers; 80% living below the FPL) from the quantitative sample also participated in a semi‐structured interview. Meta‐inferences across methods were drawn pertaining to the influence of child gender on parents' interpretation of effects for children, the toll racism‐related stress in the sociopolitical climate takes on Black families, and the transferal of effects on parents to children through parenting and parental depressive symptoms. Findings spotlight the need for policies and family‐centered programming that address the racism‐related stress faced by many Black youth and their families. Providing families with opportunities and tools that can potentially mitigate harmful effects and foster empowerment could promote positive and lasting change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregiver strain or stress directly related to caring for a youth with emotional and/or behavioral problems may be an important and understudied cultural factor associated with mental health disparities among Latinx families. Caregiver strain is a highly relevant construct for research questions focused on the identification of youth's mental health needs, family‐level impacts of youth mental health problems, and utilization of youth mental health services. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research on measures of caregiver strain and the psychometric properties of existing measures in Latinx samples. This study examined the structural and construct validity of the English version of the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CGSQ) with a sample of United States‐based Latinx caregivers of youths ages 6–18 (N = 598). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original three‐factor model of caregiver strain was evidenced in this sample. Internal consistency analyses and a poor factor loading led to the elimination of one item. The factor structure held after item removal. Significant associations between each dimension of caregiver strain with youth internalizing/externalizing symptom severity and utilization of youth mental health services provided evidence of construct validity (i.e., psychological counseling, telepsychology, parenting classes). Results provide important evidence of the psychometric properties of the English CGSQ in a Latinx sample and support its use in future research aimed at unpacking mental health disparities among Latinx youth and families. Researchers should translate and validate the CGSQ in Spanish to increase the utility of this measure for research with Latinx families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrepancies between parent and youth perceptions of their relationship are a common aspect of generational acculturation gaps influencing immigrant families. Programs designed to strengthen parenting practices among immigrant Latino families commonly address immigration stresses, including differences between parent and youth perceptions, but little is known about discrepancies in their appraisals of program effects on parenting behavior. A randomized trial was conducted examining effects on parent behavior of a program for immigrant families with youth aged 10–14, developed through community‐based participatory research principles. Families (346 parents and youth) were recruited by organizations serving Latino families in a Midwestern metropolitan area and randomly assigned to the eight‐session psychoeducation and skill‐building program or a waitlist control. Parents and youth completed self‐report measures at pre‐intervention, post‐intervention (4 months), and a 6‐month follow‐up regarding parents' expression of acceptance, efforts to solicit information about the child's experiences, and consistency of discipline, key foci of the program. Based on social cognition theory, the study focused on possible differences in parents' and youths' perceptions of change in parenting behavior. Parents in the treatment group reported pre‐post improved acceptance, consistent discipline, and solicitation, whereas youth reported improvement only in parental solicitation, a pattern maintained at follow‐up. In the control group, the only change was youth‐reported reduction in parental acceptance. Parents' perceptions of improvement are encouraging, but overall lack of improvements from the youth perspective poses a potential problem for impact on parent–child relations. Interventions may need to target both parent and youth cognitions about behavior changes directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to highly publicized instances of overt racial injustice, there has been a recent resurgence of interest and commitment to identifying processes through which anti‐racist behaviors develop among White individuals. One particularly important context in which anti‐racist behaviors can develop is within families and as a result of childrearing. Theories of anti‐racism typically neglect the role of families and family science research typically neglects a focus on anti‐racist parenting outcomes. To further research and applied work on fostering anti‐racism within White families, this paper introduces a new integrative model called routes to effective anti‐racist parenting (REAP). The model draws on theories from various fields, including family science and social psychology, and uses a metaphor of nurturing a plant to explain the nuanced, multi‐faceted approaches to anti‐racist parenting. The model incorporates factors related to the "pot" (i.e., fundamental values and structure necessary to contain more specific anti‐racist skills and behaviors), "soil" (i.e., characteristics that define anti‐racist commitment), "seeds" (i.e., direct transmission of anti‐racism skills), and "environment" (i.e., influential external factors). Finally, we describe the intended benefits that can be reaped from this intentional approach to anti‐racist parenting. The REAP model contributes to the family science literature by providing an empirically grounded theoretical model describing the roles that parents can play in children's anti‐racist development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parental attribution measure (PAM) is an instrument that assesses the attributions made by parents regarding their children's behavior, for both clinical and community samples. This research has aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties of the PAM in a community sample in Spain. Data were analyzed from several samples of fathers and mothers (N1 = 253; N2 = 458, N3 = 711) who reported on their attributions and level of parental stress on the one hand and on their children's emotional insensitivity traits and behavioral problems on the other. The results did not support the original structure proposed but a unidimensional structure consisting of nine items with good psychometric properties and factorial invariance. The 9‐item PAM exhibited a positive relationship with callous unemotional traits and behavioral problems in children and with parental stress. This study provides important new insights into the psychometric properties of the PAM in a Spanish sample. It represents a significant advance, since so far there have been no other instruments to use in assessing parental attributions about their children's behavioral problems in Spanish. In short, this research is intended to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PAM in a sample of a community in Spain. The results supported a unidimensional structure composed of a 9‐item instrument with good psychometric properties and factorial invariance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated child behavior problems, parenting styles, coparenting, and couple relationship satisfaction in 67 European gay father families via surrogacy and 67 European heterosexual parent families via unassisted conception, all with children aged 1.5–10 years (M = 3.57 years, SD = 2.09). The two family groups were matched for child age and gender. In the gay father group only, the associations between family anti‐gay microaggressions, family/friend support, and other main variables also were explored. Children of gay fathers had fewer externalizing and internalizing problems compared to children of heterosexual parents. Also, gay fathers reported more effective parenting styles, greater coparenting quality, and higher couple relationship satisfaction compared to heterosexual parents. Overall, child externalizing problems (i.e., aggression, rule‐breaking) and internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety, depression) were more strongly associated with being raised in a heterosexual parent family, more authoritarian parenting, and lower positive coparenting. Specific to the gay father sample, anti‐gay microaggressions experienced by family members were associated with more child internalizing problems, lower positive coparenting, and lower social support from family and friends. These results refute concerns about possible detrimental effects on child development of surrogacy conception or of being raised by gay fathers. The results further suggest that family therapists treating child behavior problems should focus mainly on improving the coparenting relationship, reducing authoritarian/punitive parenting styles, and (for gay father families specifically) coping with anti‐gay microaggressions and lack of social support outside the nuclear family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with autism are more likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors than children without autism. A cross‐sectional study was undertaken to investigate how parental mental health status and parenting practices contributed to the variance in externalizing behaviors among families of young children with autism in Chinese mainland, and whether parenting behaviors had any indirect effects on the relationship between parental mental health symptoms and externalizing behaviors. Data were drawn from the baseline assessment of a quasi‐experimental study of a parent training program delivered to Chinese caregivers of children with autism aged 3 to 6 from diverse backgrounds (N = 111). Results showed that parental mental health symptoms and parenting behaviors explained the variance in child externalizing behaviors. Parental mental health problems and parental over‐reactivity were linked to higher levels of child externalizing behaviors, whereas positive parenting was associated with less frequent externalizing behaviors. Positive parenting partially explained the relationship between parental mental health symptoms and externalizing behaviors. The findings of this study highlight the importance of actively attending to the psychological and parenting needs of caregivers in autism treatment programs. It points to the need for the development of culturally sensitive strategies to promote parental mental health and increase the use of positive parenting skills among parents of children with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the pivotal role that parents play in their adolescent children's lives, intervention programs aimed at at‐risk, immigrant youth have often neglected the role of the parents. Informed by an ecological perspective, the current study explored how the intersecting experiences of parents and adolescents in the Ethiopian immigrant community in Israel inform adolescent risk and resilience. A sample of 55 parents and adolescent children, who were involved in a program serving at‐risk families, and eight service providers participated in five focus groups. Grounded theory analyses of transcripts provided insights into family processes in which the experience of disenfranchisement of parents (due to societal and familial processes) transacts with feelings of isolation and withdrawal of their adolescent children. We documented five issues that reinforced this core pattern: Stigma and discrimination, cultural and language differences between parents and youth, disempowerment in interactions with authorities, parental role strain, and negative influence of the neighborhood. We also documented three resilience processes that counter this pattern (community cohesion, cultural socialization and ethnic and cultural pride, and vigilant parental monitoring). Results suggest a need for family‐based intervention programs that can counter reinforcing cycles of disenfranchisement and build on families' resilience resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental emotion‐related socialization behaviors (ERSBs) are developmental and multiply determined. However, longitudinal studies on the development patterns of ERSBs and their antecedents, especially for Chinese fathers, are scarce. This study examined the longitudinal trajectories of Chinese fathers' ERSBs during early adolescence and whether they are influenced by the father (depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation) and adolescent factors (depressive symptoms and emotional intelligence). We used 4‐year, self‐reported, survey‐based data from Chinese early adolescents (46.70% girls, Mage at Wave 1 = 10.26 years, SD = 0.33) and their fathers (Mage at Wave 1 = 40.36 years, SD = 4.22), and data analyses were conducted using unconditional and conditional latent growth model (N = 1061 at Wave 1). The results revealed an increase in the father's supportive and non‐supportive ERSBs over 4 years. Furthermore, father's depression symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and adolescent's depression symptoms can predict paternal supportive ERSBs' trajectories, while only the father's depression symptoms and emotion dysregulation can predict the change in non‐supportive ERSBs. The findings give a holistic picture of the developmental trajectories of paternal ERSBs during early adolescence, and highlight the importance of accounting for differences in father and adolescent factors in understanding changes in parental ERSBs during this critical developmental period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although having strong influences on adolescents' optimal development, mother‐adolescent closeness is greatly challenged in early adolescence. Mindful parenting may be a protective factor for relational adjustment to early adolescence, but its connection with closeness within the mother‐adolescent dyad has not been adequately examined in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the effects of how mindful parenting on the day‐to‐day mother‐adolescent relationship dynamics, evaluating the relations between mindful parenting and mother‐adolescent closeness and the mediating role of adolescent self‐disclosure. A total of 76 Chinese mother–adolescent dyads completed a baseline measure of mindful parenting and 14‐day measures of adolescent‐report self‐disclosure, mother‐perceived closeness, and adolescent‐perceived closeness. Mindful parenting significantly predicted both mother‐perceived and adolescent‐perceived closeness, with adolescent self‐disclosure serving as a mediator. Adolescent self‐disclosure predicted higher mother‐adolescent closeness on the same day, but such effects did not carry over to the next day. Our findings provided evidence supporting mindful parenting as a resource for facilitating mother‐adolescent closeness in early adolescence. This investigation also encouraged future studies to employ more intensive ambulatory assessments to clarify the daily process of how mindful parenting shapes mother‐adolescent relationship dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adults (EAs) are at high risk for mental health challenges and frequently reach out to their parents for support. Yet little is known about how parents help emerging adults manage and cope with daily stressors and which strategies help and which hinder EA mental health. In this cross‐sectional pilot study of students at a 2‐ and 4‐year college (ages 18–25, N = 680, mean age = 19.0), we extend models of dyadic coping from intimate relationships to the parent‐emerging adult relationship and test whether six specific parent strategies to help emerging adults manage stress are associated with EA mental health. Emerging adults with parents who provided problem and emotion‐focused supportive dyadic coping, delegated dyadic coping, and common/joint dyadic coping reported fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as higher levels of psychological well‐being. In contrast, college‐attending emerging adults who reported higher levels of parent‐provided negative dyadic coping reported higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower psychological well‐being. Parent‐emerging adult dyadic coping is a fruitful area for future research and intervention development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The military family stress (MFS) model conceptualizes that wartime deployments and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with couple, parenting, and child adjustment difficulties. The aim of this study was to replicate and extend the military family stress model by examining the associations among deployment length, PTSD symptoms, marital functioning, parenting practices, and child adjustment in a replication sample of both National Guard and Reserve (NG/R) as well as active‐duty service member families. The MFS model is extended to test whether these relationships vary between mothers and fathers. The sample included 208 families enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a parenting program for military families (94.4% of fathers and 21.6% of mothers were deployed). Replicating the MFS model, we specified parenting, marital quality, and child adjustment as latent variables and conducted multi‐group structural equation models. Parenting practices were positively associated with marital quality and child adjustment. PTSD symptoms were negatively associated with marital quality. The indirect effect from PTSD symptoms to parenting practices through marital quality was marginally significant. The indirect effect from marital quality to child adjustment through parenting practices was significant. There were no significant gender differences between the two structural models. This study provides empirical support for the MFS model. Results demonstrate that deployment‐related stressors are significantly associated with parent and family functioning. Parenting programs for military families might effectively target similar risk processes among both mothers and fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic has necessitated the use of health‐protective behaviors (HPB), such as social distancing, staying at home, frequent handwashing, and wearing facemasks to mitigate the transmission of disease. An investigation of interpersonal costs associated with the use of HPB can help inform strategies to promote their sustained implementation. This study examined the daily associations between the implementation of HPB and family functioning and assessed moderation by coparenting quality, economic strain, and the number of days that state‐level stay‐at‐home policies had been in effect, during the early days of the pandemic. Mothers and fathers from 155 families with children who were 9 years old, on average, completed daily reports of HPB, parental stress, and family relationship quality over eight consecutive days in April or May of 2020. Hierarchal linear models showed that HPB was associated with increased levels of parental stress and interparental conflict. Negative coparenting relations exacerbated the next‐day association between HPB and interparental conflict. HPB was also associated with increased levels of parent–child and interparental closeness, but these linkages dissipated for families who had spent more days under state‐level stay‐at‐home policies. Although crucial for public health, the implementation of HPB may have detrimental short‐term effects on daily family life. Family support and interventions are necessary to minimize the psychosocial burden of these important public health measures and increase their sustained adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an abundance of research examining disorganized attachment in childhood. However, few researchers have worked to advance the study of disorganized attachment in the context of emerging adult romantic relationships. As such, consistent and clear measurement of this attachment dimension is lacking. In the current study, emerging adult college students (N = 318) completed two previously designed self‐report measures for assessing adult disorganized attachment in the context of romantic relationships. The two scales were compared in a factor analytic framework to create a single cohesive measure of romantic disorganized attachment, which captures the unique features of disorganized attachment, including fear, distrust and suspicion of attachment figures, as well as odd and disoriented behaviors. The result was a 15‐item measure, which showed good reliability and factorial validity, and was moderately related to existing measures of attachment anxiety and avoidance. Additionally, the new measure demonstrated good test–retest reliability in a follow‐up (n = 52). Finally, path analysis was used to provide evidence that disorganized attachment mediates the relation of childhood maltreatment to difficulties in emotion regulation, above what is captured by anxious and avoidant attachment. The current findings suggest the revised measure is a reliable self‐report measure of disorganized adult romantic attachment to be used to further the study of disorganized attachment in emerging adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of service member posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, intimate partners may experience pressure to take over parenting roles and run interference between the service member and the children; that is, to engage in partner accommodation focal to parenting. The current study quantitatively assessed potential pressures to engage in parenting accommodation (PPEPA) in a sample of 207 female partners married to male service members with at least one child in the home and the convergence of PPEPA with service member PTSD symptoms, general partner accommodation, couple functioning, parenting, and child functioning. Partners' reports of PPEPA were associated with higher levels of service member PTSD symptoms and partners' general accommodation of PTSD symptoms. When controlling for service member PTSD symptoms and general partner accommodation, partner reports of PPEPA still accounted for unique variance in lower parenting alliance (as reported by both service member and partner), lower levels of service members' reports of closeness with children in the home, higher levels of harsh parenting by both the service member and partner, and greater child behavioral difficulties. Findings support PPEPA as related to partners' accommodative responses to PTSD but demonstrating unique associations with parenting alliance, parenting, and child outcomes. Parenting interventions in the context of PTSD may benefit from conjoint or family approaches that attend to the intersection of PTSD and broader family functioning, including pressures to engage in accommodation focal to the parenting domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the impact of the COVID‐19 outbreak being largely negative on parents and children, for some families, lockdown could also bring about some positive effects, for example, increased emotional closeness, and more time for joint activity. The aim of the current study was to investigate cross‐sectionally the most important correlates of the positive experiences in the parent–child relationship among Polish mothers and fathers during the lockdown in the initial phase of the COVID‐19 outbreak. In May 2020, 228 mothers and 231 fathers completed the Brief version of the Empathic Sensitivity Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form, Social Support Scale, Parenting Self‐Agency Measure, and Scale of Positive Experiences in Parent–Child Relationship during the COVID‐19 lockdown. Our results showed that parenting self‐efficacy and social support were the strongest correlates of positive experiences in the parent–child relationship in both mothers and fathers during the lockdown. Perspective‐taking was positively related to the positive experiences in mothers, whereas personal distress was positively associated with the positive experiences in the parent–child relationship in fathers. Our results point to factors of potential importance in designing preventive and therapeutic interventions for mothers and fathers to enhance positive experiences in the parent–child relationship during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting quality, family resilience, and community resilience and support have been found to be primary protective factors for the disproportionate burden of anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder (SUD), depression, and suicide that US Indigenous youth and adults tend to experience. The purpose of this research study was to examine pilot results for outcomes related to relational factors for Indigenous family members who participated in the Weaving Healthy Families (WHF) program (translated to Chukka Auchaffi' Natana, in the Choctaw tribal language), a culturally grounded and empirically informed program geared toward promoting wellness, family resilience, parenting practices, and community resilience while also preventing SUD and violence. This nonrandomized pre‐experimental pilot intervention followed a longitudinal design, which included pre‐test, a post‐test, and a 6‐, 9‐, and 12‐month post‐intervention follow‐up surveys. Repeated‐measures regressions were utilized with generalized estimating equations (GEE) to examine changes in parenting, family resilience, and communal mastery before and after the intervention for 24 adults and adolescents (12–17) across eight tribal families. Results indicate that the overall quality of parenting improved, as measured by improved parental monitoring and reductions in inconsistent discipline and corporal punishment. We identified sex differences in positive parenting, poor monitoring, and corporal punishment, with greater decreases in these measures among males over time. Family resilience and communal mastery improved for adolescent and adult participants after the WHF program. Our results indicate promising improvements across relational, familial, and community ecological, which provide clear clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detrimental effects of parental break‐up on children's mental health are well‐documented. However, research has also shown that children living in joint physical custody (JPC) arrangements often fare better than children living in sole physical custody (SPC) arrangements. Thus, the question arises: What are the differences between JPC and SPC that account for those results? Drawing on data from the Family Models in Germany (FAMOD) study conducted in 2019, structural equation models (SEM) were estimated to deduct the mediating role of coparenting support in children's mental health in 465 JPC and 652 SPC families with children aged 2–14. The findings suggest that the better mental health observed among children in JPC families than among children in SPC families was fully mediated by coparenting support. However, this held true only for internalizing and externalizing behavior, but not for prosocial behavior as no differences between JPC and SPC were found for this dimension. The findings affirm the importance of supportive coparenting for children's well‐being after family dissolution in both SPC and JPC arrangements. After breaking up, parents should be supported in their parental engagement through coparenting counseling or psychoeducation classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research has increasingly recognized that parents benefit from parent empowerment programs, studies on the outcomes of the capacity‐building of practitioners of such programs are generally lacking. Using the results of a non‐randomized controlled trial, this study examined the possible outcomes of a related capacity‐building program. A total of 56 practitioners were recruited from 10 social service agencies in Hong Kong to participate. Most of them were females with more than 10 years of social work experience. Of these, 28 participated in a 15‐session capacity‐building program on parent empowerment (serving as the experimental group), while the others did not participate in the capacity‐building program (serving as the control group). MANCOVAs were performed to identify any differences between the two groups at different time points. The post‐test assessment showed that the level of attitudes around parent empowerment of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group with a large effect size, but no difference was found in their self‐perceived competence. Furthermore, the follow‐up test revealed that the level of self‐perceived competence of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, with a large effect size. A serial mediation of the levels of favorable attitudes at the post‐test and follow‐up test on the association between the capacity‐building program and self‐perceived competence at the follow‐up test was also found. This study can contribute to the limited body of knowledge on how to equip practitioners with the professional attitudes and skills to implement parent empowerment programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting interventions are a promising means for preventing and treating a variety of child behavior and conduct problems; yet, many families lack access to such services. Online parenting programs offer an opportunity to mitigate many barriers to intervention access by extending service delivery options. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a brief, online parenting program. We developed a new online parenting program based on foundational content from the evidence‐based GenerationPMTO intervention and used a mixed‐methods, single‐arm open trial (pre–post) design to perform a preliminary evaluation. The combined results from the quantitative and qualitative data provide initial support for the acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of the online program, based on participant self‐report data from program completers. Participants indicated high levels of acceptability for the program topics and videos. They also reported statistically significant improvements from baseline to 4 weeks postintervention in parental efficacy, parenting practices, and child behavior problems. The qualitative data corroborated and expanded these findings. We go on to discuss important accessibility and sustainability considerations addressed by this online parenting program as well as to suggest implications for intervention research and mental health practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to investigate a positive dimension of coping with the COVID‐19 pandemic, that of post‐traumatic growth (PTG). This study investigated coping difficulties and PTG amongst parent and nonparent students in Israeli Universities. A total of 4022 parents (3648 Jews and 374 Palestinian‐Arab Citizens [PACs]) and 14,651 nonparents (12,010 Jews and 2641 PACs) completed measures of coping, social support and PTG. Parents demonstrated significantly higher levels of coping and PTG. Amongst parents, fathers coped slightly better than mothers; however, while Jewish mothers demonstrated greater PTG than Jewish fathers, PAC fathers had significantly greater PTG than both PAC mothers and Jewish parents. These findings, while specific to COVID‐19, indicate that PTG should be studied in greater depth in different ethnic and minority groups in order to develop enhanced understanding and facilitate promotion of post‐traumatic growth, in addition to the prevention of COVID‐19‐related distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent disordered eating and obesity are interrelated and adversely relate to mental and metabolic health. Parental feeding practices have been associated with adolescent disordered eating and obesity. Yet, observable interactions related to food parenting have not been well characterized. To address this gap, N = 30 adolescents (M ± SD 14 ± 2 year) at risk for adult obesity due to above‐average body mass index (BMI ≥70th percentile) or parental obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) participated in a video‐recorded parent–adolescent task to discuss a food/eating‐related disagreement. Interactions were coded for individual/dyadic affect/content using the Interactional Dimensions Coding System. We examined associations of interaction qualities with parent‐reported food practices, adolescent disordered eating behaviors/attitudes, and insulin resistance. Reported parenting practices were correlated with multiple interaction qualities (p‐values <0.05), with the most consistent correspondence between parent‐reported pressure to eat (e.g., pressure to eat more healthy foods) and negative aspects of parent–adolescent interactions. Also, after accounting for adolescent age, sex, and BMI‐standard score, parent–adolescent interaction qualities were associated with adolescents' disordered eating and insulin resistance. Specifically, greater adolescent problem‐solving related to less adolescent global disordered eating, shape, and weight concern (p‐values <0.05); adolescent autonomy related to less weight concern (p = 0.03). Better parent communication skills were associated with less adolescent eating concern (p = 0.04), and observed dyadic mutuality related to adolescents' lower insulin resistance (p = 0.03). Parent–adolescent interaction qualities during food/eating‐related disagreements show associations with parent‐reported food practices and adolescent disordered eating. This method may offer a tool for measuring the qualities of parent–adolescent food/eating‐related interactions. A nuanced understanding of conversations about food/eating may inform family‐based intervention in youth at‐risk for adult obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military families face many difficulties, including a parent deploying to a warzone and the subsequent risk of returning with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of PTSD are associated with parenting difficulties; however, little is known about how PTSD symptoms may be associated with emotion socialization (ES), a set of processes crucial to children's emotional well‐being. This project investigated observed ES behaviors in deployed and non‐deployed parents in a sample of 224 predominantly White, non‐Hispanic National Guard/Reserve (NG/R) families with deployed fathers, non‐deployed mothers, and a child between the ages of 4 and 13. Parents completed self‐report questionnaires and families engaged in videotaped parent–child discussions, which were coded for three types of ES behaviors. Latent profile analyses of the coded behaviors identified five profiles of parental ES: Balanced/Supportive, Balanced/Limited Expression, Unsupportive/Distressed, Unsupportive/Positive, and Involved/Emotive/Angry. Multinomial logistic regressions of each parent's profile membership on fathers' PTSD symptoms revealed no significant associations, while additional analyses including additional family factors revealed that greater father PTSD symptoms were associated with a greater likelihood of mothers being in the Balanced/Supportive profile compared to the Balanced/Limited Expression profile, particularly when children displayed average to low levels of emotion during discussion tasks. No other significant associations with PTSD symptoms were detected. Overall, in contrast to the hypotheses, the majority of these findings indicated that PTSD symptoms did not play a significant role in parental ES behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐parent families led by fathers are an increasing demographic globally, Furthermore, single fatherhood is associated with poorer self‐reported health and mental health, lifestyle practices and habits, increased health complications, psychological symptoms, hospital admissions, and higher mortality. However, there is still a dearth of evidence exploring single fathers' experiences. A systematic review and meta‐synthesis were conducted using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach. Six electronic databases were searched from each database's inception to December 2021, and 34 studies were included in this review. In total, six themes were synthesized: (i) "Doing it alone": Double the work, stress, and tears; (ii) Beyond ambivalence and towards stability, (iii) Walking into the lion's den; (iv) Education as a foundation for a better future; (v) "Single but not alone": Support systems; (vi) "Reconceptualising my predicament": Double the love and growth. Our findings suggest the need to: help fathers better navigate their relationships with their children and ex‐partners, increased awareness and availability of parent‐teaching and support programs, and reform guidelines and policies to enable greater participation and involvement of fathers in future judicial systems, and social and public assistance services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families (and sometimes courts) make important decisions regarding child physical custody arrangements post‐separation, and shared parenting arrangements are increasingly common in most developed countries. Shared arrangements may be differentially associated with parental satisfaction, and these associations may vary across countries. Using data from surveys of separated mothers in Wisconsin and Finland, the present study explores this possibility and is guided by three aims: (a) to identify child and family characteristics associated with sole and shared child placements 6 or more years after separation; (b) to estimate associations of children's post‐separation placements with maternal satisfaction with placements and expense sharing; (c) to examine whether the relationship between post‐separation placement and maternal satisfaction varies by mothers' earnings and the quality of parents' relationships. We find that Finnish mothers with shared placement are more satisfied with their placement than are their counterparts with sole placement, while we find the inverse is true for Wisconsin mothers. Moreover, parental satisfaction with shared placement, overall and relative to sole placement, varies greatly depending on the quality of a mother's relationship with the other parent; and differences in relationship quality in Wisconsin and Finland may help explain the difference in satisfaction with shared placement in the two locations. In both Finland and Wisconsin, we find mothers with shared placement are more satisfied with the way expenses are shared between parents than are mothers with sole placement. Associations between placement and satisfaction are robust to extensive controls for child and maternal characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that family alliance (FA), operationalized as the quality of mother–father‐child triadic interactions, is important for child socioemotional development. However, few studies have investigated the predictors of FA, and there are few longitudinal studies available. Accordingly, this study first examined whether mothers' and fathers' marital satisfaction and parenting stress during infancy predicted FA five years later, when their children entered kindergarten. Second, the moderating role of both parents' perspective‐taking capacity as a moderator of these longitudinal associations was examined. The study was conducted with 113 intact families (mother–father‐child). Marital satisfaction, parenting stress, and perspective taking were reported by both parents and FA was assessed by observation. Contrary to expectations, neither parent's marital satisfaction or parenting stress was directly related to family alliance. However, significant moderating effects were found for both parents' perspective taking, such that higher paternal and maternal parenting stress predicted poorer FA only among parents with relatively lower perspective‐taking capacities. These findings suggest that some aspects of the quality of family interactions when children enter school can be predicted by mothers' and fathers' personal dispositions assessed as early as five years prior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on decades of research in family systems, coparenting, and developmental science, we present a clinical approach to address unmet service needs in children's mental health. Specifically, we describe Lausanne Family Play – Brief Intervention (LFP‐B) – a manualized family systems approach providing a caregiver‐caregiver‐child therapy (and sibling/s, when applicable). The LFP‐B is ultra‐brief, typically delivered in as few as three sessions (two assessment sessions followed by a video feedback session), with the aim of reducing children's mental health symptomatology by enhancing the coparenting relationship. We review literature on systemic family therapies and provide a rationale for including coparents and children in child mental health care. We then provide a rationale for using behavioral observations and video feedback in treatment, drawing on research in related family‐based treatments (e.g., parent–child therapies). Finally, we provide an overview of the LFP‐B manual and a case illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents raising children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) experience greater family, health, and psychosocial dysfunction due to the compounding nature of children's NDD and disease manifestations. Furthermore, the experiences of fathers and mothers are significantly different, and there is a paucity of consolidated evidence on fathers' experiences. A systematic review and meta‐synthesis were conducted using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach. Six electronic databases were searched for relevant articles published between November 2011 and November 2021. Thirty‐eight studies were included in this review. An overarching theme "Out of the Shadows, and Into the Sunshine" emerged along with four main themes: (a) "The Illness Is All the Time": An Overwhelming Experience, (b) "Navigating health care and Education Systems," (c) "Strong Alone, Stronger Together," and (d) "My Child Is Different Not Less: A Different Perspective." This meta‐synthesis analyzed the facilitators and barriers married fathers of children with NDD faced and suggested a paradigm shift where these fathers are becoming more actively involved in the care of their children. There is a need for family clinicians and therapists and health care, education, and workforce policymakers to collaborate to tackle the current and potential unique barriers faced by fathers of children with NDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of intense competition for younger generation has intensified social expectations of being a good parent. Based on the data of 386 Chinese intact families with fathers (Mage = 48.7), mothers (Mage = 44.7), and adolescents (46.9% girls, Mage = 14.6) as target respondents, this study examined the patterns of dyadic interdependence in the relationships between socially prescribed parenting perfectionism and parental control (indexed by close monitoring and psychological control) using actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) analyses. Results indicated an actor‐only pattern in the association of socially prescribed parenting perfectionism with paternal monitoring, and a couple pattern in the relationship between socially prescribed parenting perfectionism and maternal monitoring. However, the patterns of individual and inter‐spousal relationships between socially prescribed parenting perfectionism and psychological control were indistinguishable between fathers and mothers. The findings lend support to the social expectations model and the anxious rearing model by illustrating positive associations of socially prescribed parenting perfectionism with parental monitoring and psychological control. The present study suggests that father‐prescribed social expectations about parenting are critical in shaping parental control practice in Chinese contexts, which shed light on the development of Chinese socialization model and clinical practice to support Chinese parents in their parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations on the bidirectional relationships between parenting stress and child behavior problems are important to inform intervention strategies; however, prior research has provided inconsistent findings. Using a national sample of multi‐stressed single‐mother families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, the present study examined the bidirectional relationships between maternal parenting stress and children's behavioral problems spanning from early childhood through adolescence at the child's ages 3, 5, 9, and 15. Reciprocal transactions were found between parenting stress and behavior problems in early childhood between the ages 3 and 5. From age 5 to age 15, our findings also suggest that children's behavior problems at an earlier time point predict mothers' parenting stress at a later time point. Unexpectedly, the lagged effects of parenting stress on child behavior problems in school ages were not significant in our sampled data. Early childhood interventions should address mitigating both parenting stress and their toddlers' behavior problems. During middle childhood and adolescence, interventions to directly address children's behavior problems are critical both to the well‐being of mothers and to assist in the reduction in levels of behavior problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bidirectional associations between maternal depression and child behavior problems have been reported in prior research, however, few studies examine these relations across varied family contexts. This study examined parenting stress and child diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as moderators of bidirectional associations between maternal depression and child behavior problems over time. Our sample included 86 mother–child dyads who reported maternal depressive symptoms, child behavior problems, and parenting stress at three time points over more than 1 year. Approximately half were mothers of children with ASD (n = 41) and half were mothers of neurotypical children (n = 45). We tested the bidirectional associations between maternal depressive symptoms and children's behavior problems and the potential moderating role of parental stress or child ASD diagnosis on these bidirectional associations using aggregated, lagged, and linear mixed models. Even after controlling for lagged maternal depressive symptoms, child behavior problems were associated with greater subsequent maternal depression at the between‐person level, but not at the within‐person level. The converse relation of prior maternal depressive symptoms on subsequent child behavior problems was not significant. Neither parenting stress nor child ASD diagnosis moderated bidirectional associations between maternal depressive symptoms and children's behavior problems. Child behavior predicted maternal depression, but the converse was not true, regardless of parenting stress levels or child's ASD diagnosis. For mothers experiencing elevated parenting stress and those with children with ASD, this may help alleviate elevated feelings of guilt related to their children's behavior problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the attachment versus differentiation debate, bringing the conversation to parent–child relationships. While attachment theory's (AT) approach emphasizes bonding, Bowen family systems theory's (BFST) differentiation approach emphasizes emotional boundaries. They both suggest that balancing autonomy and connection is important, but AT conceptualizes this in terms of the parent's ability to meet the child's needs for autonomy and connection, while BFST conceptualizes this in terms of the parent's and child's ability to be connected due to mutual respect for each other's emotional boundaries. They similarly recognize that: (1) emotionally mature parents respect children individuality, (2) emotionally immature parents may project their needs and wishes onto children, and (3) emotionally mature parents focus on calming themselves to help their children to be calm. They differ in that: (1) BFST suggests that children may project their needs and wishes onto their parents and intrude on their parents' emotional boundaries, and AT does not conceptualize this; (2) BFST suggests that caregiver over‐involvement may be experienced as positive for a child and program them to be excessively needy, and AT suggests that caregiver over‐involvement is negative for children and neediness is caused by under‐involved caregiving; and (3) BFST suggests that therapists should not try to be a parent to their clients as this can replicate the fusion that the client experienced with their parents, and AT suggests that therapists should try to be like a good parent to their clients to help them to develop more secure attachment styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latina/o immigrant mothers in the United States (U.S.) often experience discrimination, which results in deleterious impacts on their parenting practices. Because of the cumulative impact of immigration‐related stress, there is a need for research aimed at identifying specific contextual stressors that have the greatest impact on Latina/o immigrant parenting. Further, given significant barriers to access mental health services, there is an urgency to comprehend how pre‐existing family strengths might counteract these parenting shortcomings in Latina/o families. Accordingly, we examined in these investigation‐specific pathways through which immigration‐related stress affects maternal parenting practices, and how emotional and relational processes within families might act as predecessors to positive parenting practices within a context of adversity. This study is embedded within a larger program of research aimed at culturally adapting evidence‐based parenting programs for low‐income Latina/o immigrants. Our sample consisted of 71 Mexican‐origin Latina/o mothers, residents of an urban setting in the Midwest. According to Bayesian estimated path analysis, immigration‐related stress was associated with parenting stress and emotional support, while emotional support, parenting stress, and the co‐parenting alliance were associated with positive parenting practices. Indirect effects demonstrate that immigration‐related stress is negatively associated with positive parenting practices when mediated by parenting stress and emotional support. Current findings highlight the need to carefully examine the impact of immigration‐related stress on the parenting practices of Latina/o immigrant families and the need to inform parent training interventions accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has examined the potential spillover of parenting difficulties in the coparental stepfamily subsystem. Using family systems theory as a guide, we longitudinally examined: (a) whether early parenting difficulties within stepfamilies persist 1 year later and (b) whether the parenting difficulties experienced by one partner impact the parenting difficulties of the other partner within remarriages. Copies of marriage licenses were used to identify remarried individuals. Surveys were mailed out, with follow‐up surveys mailed a year later, resulting in a sample of 676 remarried couples (the majority of which were White and college educated). The sample was split into three groups, according to stepfamily constellation: (a) families with a stepfather and biological mother; (b) families with a biological father and a stepmother; and (c) families with both stepfathers and stepmothers. We estimated three different actor‐partner interdependence models (APIM), one for each group. Consistent with family systems theory, our findings showed that parenting and stepparenting difficulties were interrelated, though gendered in effect. All parenting and stepparenting difficulties displayed actor effects, suggesting that parenting difficulties persist 1 year later. However, the only cross‐spouse influences (partner effects) were such that the mother's parenting difficulties (of her own biological children) were predicted by the father's parenting and stepparenting difficulties, and these differed by stepfamily constellation. Implications regarding gendered expectations, the importance of the coparenting subsystem in stepfamilies, early establishment of parental boundaries, and the (potentially important) inclusion of the stepfather in the parenting dynamics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant research has shown that self‐compassion robustly contributes to adults' psychological well‐being. Meanwhile, a few studies have shown that self‐compassion is rooted in early experiences with parents. However, it is unclear whether interactions with partners and children affect adults' self‐compassion, and the role of their self‐compassion in interactions with significant others. This study examined bidirectional longitudinal relationships between Chinese parents' marital satisfaction, parenting stress, and self‐compassion following a three‐wave longitudinal design. A sample of 322 Chinese father–mother dyads (father's Mage = 35.84, SDage = 5.76; mother's Mage = 34.32, SDage = 5.46) completed a set of questionnaires at three time points. The results showed that marital satisfaction positively predicted the fathers' and mothers' self‐compassion, while parenting stress did not significantly predict the parents' self‐compassion; In contrast, parents' self‐compassion did not significantly predict marital satisfaction or parenting stress. Additionally, there was a bidirectional relationship between marital satisfaction and parenting stress in fathers and mothers. Finally, mothers' marital satisfaction positively mediated the relationship between parenting stress and self‐compassion/next‐stage parenting stress. This study revealed that adults' self‐compassion can develop from caring and supportive relationships, including marital relationships. Highlighting key mechanisms of marital satisfaction, such as increasing self‐compassion and reducing parenting stress, may contribute to the improvement of adults' mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissemination of evidence‐based parent training (PT) interventions remains extremely limited in Latin American countries. This is concerning when considering the high prevalence of child maltreatment associated with punitive parenting practices across countries in the region. Furthermore, efforts to disseminate PT interventions must be conducted by adhering to the core parenting components that have established effectiveness for such interventions, while ensuring contextual and cultural relevance for focus populations. In this manuscript, we describe the cultural adaptation of an evidence‐based PT intervention in the context of Chile. This initial phase of adaptation was informed by the theoretical tenets of the Ecological Validity Model of cultural adaptation (Bernal et al., J. Abnorm. Child Psychol., 23, 1995, 67). According to findings from a qualitative thematic analysis conducted with five interventionists in training, therapists perceived that the intervention's core components were relevant to Chilean caregivers who participated in the parenting program. Interventionists also provided specific suggestions to enhance the intervention's contextual and cultural relevance. This investigation illustrates the importance of culturally adapting evidence‐based interventions according to comprehensive cultural adaptation frameworks, prior to engaging in large‐scale dissemination of adapted interventions in Latin American contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some adolescent gamers, playing online games may become problematic, impairing functioning in personal, family, and other life domains. Parental and family factors are known to influence the odds that adolescents may develop problematic gaming (PG), negative parenting and conflictual family dynamics increasing the risk, whereas positive parenting and developmentally supportive family dynamics protecting against PG. This suggests that a treatment for adolescent PG should not only address the gaming behaviors and personal characteristics of the youth, but also the parental and family domains. An established research‐supported treatment meeting these requirements is multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), which we adapted for use as adolescent PG treatment. We report here on one adaptation, applying in‐session gaming. In‐session demonstration of the "problem behavior" is feasible and informative in PG. In the opening stage of therapy, we use in‐session gaming to establish an alliance between the therapist and the youth. By inviting them to play games, the therapist demonstrates that they are taken seriously, thus boosting treatment motivation. Later in treatment, gaming is introduced in family sessions, offering useful opportunities to intervene in family members' perspectives and interactional patterns revealed in vivo as the youth plays the game. These sessions can trigger strong emotions and reactions from the parents and youth and give rise to maladaptive transactions between the family members, thus offering ways to facilitate new discussions and experiences of each other. The insights gained from the game demonstration sessions aid the therapeutic process, more so than mere discussion about gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental burnout refers to loss of energy and pleasure in the parental role. It is predictive of psychopathological outcomes in parents and dysfunctional parenting behaviors. Support of parental duties is central to alleviation of parental burden and prevention of burnout. Coparenting is the concept related to interparental mutual support in rearing a child. However, the links between coparenting and parental burnout have yet to be assessed. We thus aimed in this study to assess which dimensions of coparenting are linked with parental burnout. A total of 306 participants from the French‐speaking part of Switzerland (120 fathers, 186 mothers) completed online questionnaires about parental burnout, their coparental relationship, and sociodemographic characteristics. We performed hierarchical regressions, entering sociodemographic characteristics in a first block and coparenting dimensions in a second block. Results showed that (i) a higher number of children and having younger children are linked to higher burnout; (ii) coparenting exposure to conflict is related to higher burnout, whereas endorsement of the partner's parenting is related to lower burnout; and (iii) no interaction effect occurs between sociodemographic characteristics and coparenting variables. Coparenting thus significantly contributes to the occurrence of burnout syndrome. Working on the coparental relationship preventively in parental educational programs or at a relational systemic level in therapy may help prevent burnout. Treating one parent only may not be sufficient to alleviate burnout, as negative coparenting could counter the effect of individual therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends prior research on the intergenerational transmission of relationship instability by examining parents' history of on‐off relationships as a predictor of emerging adults' own cycling (i.e., breaking up and renewing with the same romantic partner). Data were collected at a large mid‐western university from 702 emerging adults (18–25 years old). Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict the likelihood that participants had cycled in a past or current relationship. Results show that parental cycling increased the likelihood of offspring cycling in a past or current relationship relative to never cycling, and greater uncertainty about the future of the relationship was a mechanism through which such transmission occurred. Findings from this study demonstrate that parental relationship instability can even be consequential for the transient relationships within emerging adulthood, making family history a productive area to explore for practitioners working with cyclical partners and/or emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problematic Internet use (PIU), a common phenomenon, has negative effects on adolescents, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Adolescents with PIU pose great challenges to parenting. However, little is known about the mediating mechanisms underlying this relationship. The study examines the chain mediating roles of parenting stress and parental expectations between PIU and parental involvement across early, middle, and late adolescence. Families (N = 1206) that included fathers, mothers, and adolescents (48.9% females, Mage = 13.86 ± 2.48) participated in the study. Adolescents provided a rating of PIU, and fathers and mothers reported their own parenting stress, parental expectations, and parental involvement. The results showed that paternal parenting stress and then expectations mediated the association between PIU and paternal involvement, and maternal parenting stress and then expectations mediated the association between PIU and maternal involvement, indicating a spillover effect. By contrast, the crossover effect was established only in that maternal parenting stress was negatively related to paternal expectations in middle adolescents. Moreover, maternal expectations showed the strongest association with maternal involvement in middle adolescents, whereas paternal expectations were most associated with paternal involvement in late adolescents. These findings underline the necessity of understanding parenting by assessing adolescent developmental stages and paternal and maternal parenting separately. Furthermore, the mediators of parenting stress and parental expectations can be the focus on facilitating parental involvement; the effect of maternal parenting stress on paternal expectations may suggest that intervention programs for fathers should consider more contextual factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demands and stressors associated with motherhood can increase a mother's risk for mental health concerns. Latina mothers are particularly vulnerable to the relation between motherhood‐related stressors and maternal mental health given that they are at an increased risk for mental health concerns, that they are likely to have their mental health needs go unmet, and that traditional Latinx cultural values/gender roles emphasize women assuming the role of primary caregiver of the family's children. In an attempt to better understand how motherhood impacts Latina mother's mental health, this study explored the relations among parental self‐efficacy, parenting stress, and maternal mental health. This study also explored how a mother's perception of her material resources influenced these relations. One hundred and thirty‐two Latina mothers completed questionnaires to assess parenting stress, parental self‐efficacy, and maternal mental health risk. The moderating effect of maternal perception of material resources in the aforementioned relations was assessed through the creation of a composite variable derived from items in the demographic questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analyses were used. Higher levels of parenting stress, but not parental self‐efficacy, were related to increased maternal mental health risk. Furthermore, mothers who perceived themselves to have lower material resources were at increased risk for diminished mental health in the context of low parental self‐efficacy. Results of this study yielded important information that is necessary for informing healthcare best practices, identifying targets for future interventions, and ultimately improving the health outcomes of Latinx mothers and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explored the role of parenting styles as mediating mechanisms in the link between marital conflict and Chinese children's internalizing problems. Participants were N = 1269 families (mothers, fathers, and children) from Shanghai, P. R. China. Multisource assessments were employed at three time points. Mothers and fathers reported their marital conflict and parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian) and teachers and children reported on children's internalizing problems. Results from the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) showed significant actor and partner effects for associations between marital conflict and parenting styles. After controlling for internalizing problems at Time 1, only maternal authoritarian parenting continued to mediate the relations between mothers' reported marital conflict and change in children's internalizing problems over time. This research provides valuable information about how important aspects of parenting influence the relations between marital conflict and internalizing problems among Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parent‐Child Interactions (PCI) is a home visit parenting intervention designed to promote positive parenting and deter punitive approaches to child behavior management. With attention to the importance of providing efficacious interventions for families from diverse backgrounds, this study used a subsample from a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the efficacy of PCI intervention among Latinx participants. PCI was offered to 170 at‐risk Latinx mother–child dyads, of whom the majority were primarily Spanish speaking. Dyads were randomly assigned to an intervention or a wait‐list control condition. Path analysis modeling was used to examine parenting outcomes as a mediator of program efficacy between group assignment and children's long‐term functioning. Results suggest that Latinx parent and child functioning benefited from PCI intervention 6 months following intervention. Specifically, model results indicated significant indirect effects of the PCI intervention on (1) cooperative child behavior and (2) children's externalizing behaviors 6‐months posttreatment via parenting at post test, with mother–child dyads assigned to the treatment condition, relative to the control, demonstrating better functioning 6‐months posttreatment. Overall, findings contribute to increased understanding of parenting intervention implementation among Latinx families. Recommendations for future study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental overcontrol (OC), behavior that intrusively or dominantly restricts child autonomy, has been identified as a transdiagnostic risk factor for youth. However, it is as yet unknown whether the association between parental OC and child maladjustment remains even when OC is exerted infrequently or by attuned parents. Rather, the selective use of OC might steer children away from danger. Taking a developmental psychopathology approach, this study focuses on the larger parent-child relationship context, testing whether either the dose at which parents demonstrate OC or the degree to which children perceive their parents as attuned determines whether OC is risky or protective for adolescents' adjustment. Among a community sample of 114 families of children followed from the ages of 12-18, we examine whether OC, behaviorally coded from triadic mother-father-child discussions in middle childhood, is associated with later risky behavior and anxiety symptoms in adolescence. Overcontrol exerted by either mothers or fathers had a curvilinear effect on adolescent risky behaviors, and this effect was moderated by children's perceived attunement. Although OC generally was associated with increased risky behaviors, low doses of OC or OC exerted by highly attuned parents protected against engagement in risky behaviors. No main effect of OC was observed on adolescent anxiety; however, mothers' OC interacted with perceived parental attunement, such that OC exerted by less attuned parents predicted greater anxiety. Results underscore that the effect of parenting behaviors depends on the larger parent-child relationship context.

Low‐income minorities face many complex barriers to building stable and healthy relationships. AVANCE Houston, a non‐profit community‐based organization in Houston, Texas, developed the Strong Families, Strong Communities (SFSC) program to address such barriers by providing interactive healthy marriage and relationship skills workshops to low‐income English‐ and Spanish‐speaking Hispanic and English‐speaking African American individuals. Using a randomized control trial (RCT) design with random assignment to the 7‐week treatment group (n = 649) or a 12‐month wait‐list control group (n = 600), we examined the impact of the program on four dimensions of relationship functioning: relationship satisfaction, connectedness, and quality; and conflict resolution, at post‐test and then 6 and 12 months later. Using a repeated measure multilevel model with a difference‐in‐difference impact estimate, we found that all four dimensions of relationship functioning improved with small effect sizes that were larger than those found in previous relationship education programs for low‐income individuals (Cohen's d's of 0.18 for relationship satisfaction, 0.24 for connectedness, 0.19 for quality, and 0.20 for conflict resolution). Findings from this study provide evidence of program effectiveness on dimensions of relationship functioning for low‐income minorities, comparable to or better than those seen in other healthy marriage program RCTs. The findings of this impact evaluation are promising regarding the impact of programs like SFSC on dimensions of relationship functioning in low‐income Hispanic and African American participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]