Parent-child Relationship Research Articles

Lability in parent-child warmth and hostility and adolescent externalizing behaviors.

Both longer term developmental changes (increases in hostility, decreases in warmth) and lability (year-to-year fluctuations) in parent-child relationship quality across childhood and adolescence have been linked to adolescent externalizing behaviors. Using a prospective longitudinal study of 561 children who were adopted into nonrelative families at birth (57% male, 56% White, 19% multiracial, 13% Black, 11% Hispanic) where parental warmth and hostility reflect environmental influences or child-evoked reactions, we examined associations between parent-child relationship measures and externalizing behaviors at age 11 and across adolescence (i.e., from age 11 to 13-15 years). Because studies considering gene-environment interplay especially in associations between lability and child externalizing behaviors are sparse and parent-child relationship measures support the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology, we also tested whether parent psychopathology of both adoptive parent (AP; environmental intergenerational transmission) and birth parents (genetic intergenerational transmission) moderated these associations in multivariate regression models. Findings generally supported more effects of fathers' than mothers' warmth and hostility. Although there were some linear associations of increased lability with externalizing behaviors, these did not persist in the context of a multivariate model. Associations between both parents' increasing hostility across childhood on age 11 externalizing behaviors and for fathers increasing hostility and decreasing warmth on increases in externalizing behaviors across adolescence more likely reflect a combination of bidirectional evocative and parenting environmental associations than purely parenting environmental transmission. Moderation by parent psychopathology was sparse, and sensitivity tests revealed no differences by child sex. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN CHILDREN: THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF RESILIENCE, SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP

Stressful and adverse events pose a challenge to children’s mental health and well-being, as they are associated with internalizing and externalizing problems. The present study examined how family and individual factors act protectively to enhance children’s mental health and well-being. The study involved 421 children aged 9 to 12 and their parents/guardians. Children and parents completed questionnaires concerning their mental resilience, children’s self-esteem and self-efficacy, children’s mental difficulties, and child-parent relationships. Research findings indicated that children with high self-esteem and self-efficacy display more significant levels of mental resilience. Furthermore, children develop fewer mental difficulties when parents and children have high resilience and engage in positive interaction practices. The study also highlighted that children's self-esteem predicts resilience through the mediating role of children's self-efficacy. Additionally, parents' resilience indirectly impacts children's mental health through children's resilience and parent-child closeness relationships. The findings underscore the importance of developing prevention programs to bolster children's resilience and well-being.

Changes in care provision to older parents during COVID-19 and the well-being of adult children: The moderating roles of the child-parent relationship and pandemic-related measures

Objective: The study addresses the associations between changes in care provision to older parents since the pandemic and worsened depression and anxiety in adult children. It also explores whether pandemic-related control measures and child-parent relationships moderated these associations. Background: Changes in informal care during the pandemic, such as increased or decreased caregiving frequency, may have affected caregivers’ psychological well-being. Limited research exists on how stressors and resources shape the well-being of adult children caregivers. Method: Data from 740 respondents in the first SHARE Corona Survey (SCS) who provided care for their parents during the pandemic were analyzed. Changes in depression and anxiety were assessed using data from SCS and pre-pandemic Wave. Logistic regression analyses were conducted, with added interactions between the moderators - pandemic measures and child-parent relationship characteristics - and changes in care frequency. Results: Increased caregiving frequency during the pandemic was associated with worsened depression. Stricter pandemic measures intensified this effect but also reduced the likelihood of anxiety for those who provided care less often. A higher quality of relationship with the mother in childhood was marginally associated with lower depression among those increasing caregiving but worsened depression for those decreasing it. Conclusion: To address post-pandemic caregiving challenges, efforts should focus on reducing caregiver stress and considering the enduring influence of early child-parent relationships.

The Most Familiar Strangers: Navigating Parent-Child Dynamics Through Communication

The essay analyzes the complex parent-child relationships in Yiyun Li’s Gold Boy, Emerald Girl and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. It focuses on the lack of effective communication between parents and children, leading to emotional estrangement. Chinese parents, often exerting control over their children’s lives, assume they understand their needs, while the children feel misunderstood due to insufficient emotional exchange. In both stories, the characters suffer from imposed decisions and unspoken feelings, exemplifying how familial love, when mixed with cultural expectations, can become oppressive. The essay calls for mutually agreeable communication to bridge the gap and prevent families from becoming “the most familiar strangers.”

Psychosocial factors mediate social inequalities in health-related quality of life among children and adolescents

BackgroundThe present analysis aimed to assess the mediating role of psychosocial and behavioural factors in socio-economic inequalities in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among children and adolescents.MethodsCross-sectional data was drawn from the randomly selected SEROCoV-KIDS cohort study in Geneva, Switzerland. Associations of socio-economic conditions (parents’ highest education, household financial situation) with HRQoL, psychosocial (parent–child relationship, school difficulties, friends, extracurricular activities) and behavioural factors (screen time, physical activity, green spaces time, sleep duration), along with associations of psychosocial and behavioural factors with HRQoL, were evaluated with generalized estimating equations. Counterfactual mediation analyses were conducted to test pathways linking socio-economic conditions to HRQoL.ResultsOf 965 children and 816 adolescents, those with disadvantaged financial circumstances were more likely to have a poor HRQoL (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 3.80; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.96–7.36 and aOR: 3.66; 95%CI: 2.06–6.52, respectively). Psychosocial characteristics mediated 25% (95%CI: 5–70%) and 40% (95%CI: 18–63%) of financial disparities in HRQoL among children and adolescents, respectively. Health behaviours were weakly patterned by socio-economic conditions and did not contribute to financial differences in HRQoL.ConclusionsThese findings provide empirical evidence for mechanisms explaining socio-economic disparities in child HRQoL and could inform interventions aimed to tackle health inequalities.

The Association Between Latino Cultural Concepts and Fatherhood Identity on Stigma for Fathers With a Child With a Disability

ABSTRACTThis study focuses on Latino fathers and investigates the role that cultural concepts and fatherhood identity play in the stigma associated with having a child with a disability. Disability stigma is a widely held concept that acknowledges the role of culture; however, there is a lack of information on Latino fathers. Using a panel survey provider a US cross‐sectional survey was completed by 92 Latino fathers who had a child with a disability. Multiple regression was used to investigate the relationship of cultural Latino constructs (personalismo, machismo, caballerismo and respeto) and fatherhood identity on the stigma experiences of Latino fathers who have a child with a disability while controlling for the child's age and acculturation (R2 = 0.43, p < 0.001). Latino fathers with higher levels of personalismo (p = 0.05), and fatherhood identity (p < 0.001) had lower levels of stigma. Latino fathers with high levels of machismo had high levels of stigma (p < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between caballerismo and respeto towards stigma. Specific recommendations for Latino fathers include (1) the development of personalismo by focusing on the child–parent relationship; (2) a re‐frame of machismo to focus instead on caballerismo characteristics to de‐emphasize harmful effects on stigma experiences; and (3) heightening the identity as a father as a protective mechanism to strengthen resilience from stigma.

Celeste Ng in Conversation with Maxine Hong Kingston: Intergenerational Trauma and the Asian American Experience in Everything I Never Told You.

This paper delves into the representation of intergenerational trauma within Asian American literature, focusing on Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, and the critiques by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Ng’s work is analyzed for its nuanced portrayal of trauma as an intrinsic part of the Asian American experience, distinguishing it from earlier works that, as Nguyen argues, tend to conform to the “model minority” stereotype. The paper examines Ng’s sensitive unpacking of trauma, particularly its non-punctual, systemic nature, and its intergenerational transmission, especially in parent-child relationships. Additionally, it contrasts Ng’s approach with Kingston’s, exploring how trauma in The Woman Warrior is masked by cultural reinterpretation and the desire to please dominant Western narratives. By employing the theories of Cathy Caruth, Naomi Mandel, and Greg Forter, the essay argues that Ng repositions trauma as a core theme in Asian American literature, filling a significant gap left by previous works and redefining the narrative of Asian American identity and heritage.

Research on the Value and Path of Family Art Education-Take Vocal Music Education as an Example

By discussing the application of vocal music education in family art education, this paper reveals the value and diversified implementation path of family art education. Family art education not only helps to improve children's cognitive, emotional and social skills, but also promotes the improvement of parent-child relationship through art forms. On the basis of relevant research at home and abroad, taking vocal music education as an example, we analyze the unique role of family art education and propose a feasible implementation path. The research believes that family art education can cultivate children's artistic literacy, innovation ability, self-confidence and social skills, contribute to the enhancement of family cohesion, and also provide theoretical and practical guidance for the promotion of art education in the family environment.

Shared Households in the U.S.: A New Perspective on Family Structure and Adolescent Substance Use

Research on the family structure–adolescent substance use association has largely neglected shared households—those in which non-parent adult figures live in the home—even though the number of these households has increased substantially in the U.S. Using data from the state of Florida, we assessed the association between several shared household structures and adolescent substance use, along with whether their associations were mediated by parent-child relationship quality or parental monitoring/discipline. Adolescents in shared family households, especially when a parent did not reside in the home, manifested a higher odds of marijuana use and vaping than those in two-parent households. Monitoring/discipline partly mediated the household structure effects, suggesting that engaging in high levels of monitoring can lower the risk of substance use even in families without two parents.

Parent-child communication and educational anxiety: a longitudinal analysis based on the common fate model

BackgroundIn the face of family stress and emerging family problems, the transactional model of stress and coping provides new perspectives for solving stress problems in the family. This study integrates it with the common fate model to reveal new paths for coping with educational anxiety problems from the level of parent-child dichotomous interaction in the family environment, aiming to provide some theoretical and practical support for alleviating parents’ education anxiety.MethodsThis study used a combination of interviews and questionnaires to stratify students and their parents from a public junior high school in Jinan City to participate in the study. Data were collected in two time periods (T1, T2; one year apart), and the demographic characteristics of parents and children, parent-child communication quality, education anxiety, and parent-child trust relationship of 495 families were finally analysed by SPSS 27.0.ResultsThe results found that (1) based on the Common Fate Model, quality of parent-child communication negatively predicted parents’ education anxiety; (2) quality of parent-child communication positively predicted parent-child trust relationship; (3) parent-child trust relationship negatively predicted parents’education anxiety; (4) parent-child trust relationship mediated quality of parent-child communication and education anxiety.ConclusionsThis study sheds light on research related to stress coping and anxiety relief in the family environment, and provides theoretical and practical support for understanding the interaction between parents and children at the family level, and coping with stressful events together. It implies that future researchers should not only focus on one aspect when coping with and dealing with family problems, but should analyse the family as a whole, including the communication status and parent-child relationship between parents and children.

Parent and adolescent perceptions of parent–child developmental relationships: The role of family routines

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined family routines in relation to the strength of parent–child developmental relationships and discordant perceptions among parents and their adolescent children.BackgroundPositive parent–child relationships and regular engagement in family routines are known to create a positive environment in which adolescents can thrive. Yet both parents and their children hold unique perspectives on family structure and functioning. Agreement between parent and child reports tend to be low and often become increasingly discrepant during adolescence. Engaging in consistent and predictable family routines may not only strengthen parent–child relationships but also result in more concordant perceptions of the quality of their shared relationship.MethodUsing data from 633 matched parents and their children, we examined the association between engagement in family routines and the strength of parent–adolescent relationships including discrepant reports using a latent congruence model.ResultsFamily routines were positively associated with stronger parent–adolescent relationships and less discrepant reports of this critical relationship.ConclusionEngagement in family routines plays an important role in parent–adolescent developmental relationships.ImplicationsFindings have important implications for practices and research focused on improving adolescent outcomes through family structures and parent–child relationships.

The influence of physical exercise on adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors: mediating effects of parent-child relationships, self-esteem, and self-control.

Externalizing problem behaviors can significantly and negatively impact adolescents' learning, daily life, and future socialization. While physical exercise is believed to inhibit adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors, the extent of its effect and the mediating mechanisms remain unclear. This study is based on data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The CFPS project employed the Externalizing Problem Behaviors Scale (EPBS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Self-Control Scale (SCS) to measure adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors, self-esteem, and self-control. Additionally, physical exercise was measured by collecting data on the time and frequency of adolescents' physical exercise. Parent-child relationships were evaluated using a composite variable that included four dimensions: frequency of quarrels, frequency of heart-to-heart talks, parental awareness of their children's whereabouts, and children's trust in their parents. Based on data collection and variable construction, this study employed multiple linear regression, propensity score matching, and quantile regression to analyze the impact of physical exercise on adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors and the heterogeneity of these effects. Additionally, the Bootstrap mediation effect test was employed to explore the mediating roles of parent-child relationships, self-esteem, and self-control in this process. The analysis demonstrates that physical exercise significantly inhibits adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors (β = -0.095, p < 0.01), although the effect varies significantly among different populations. Compared to males (β = -0.077, p < 0.1), rural residents (β = -0.065, p > 0.1), individuals with poorer family economic status (β = -0.080, p < 0.1), and those with more severe problem behaviors (τ = 0.75, β = -0.086, p < 0.05), physical exercise yields a more pronounced inhibitory effect on females (β = -0.113, p < 0.01), urban residents (β = -0.134, p < 0.01), individuals with better family economic status (β = -0.115, p < 0.01), and those with milder problem behaviors (τ = 0.25, β = -0.112, p < 0.01). Furthermore, through enhancements in parent-child relationships (CI: -0.015; -0.002), self-esteem (CI: -0.019; -0.003), and self-control (CI: -0.055; -0.025), physical exercise indirectly mitigates adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors. Physical exercise significantly reduces adolescents' externalizing problem behaviors, with effects differing across various groups. Parent-child relationships, self-esteem, and self-control mediate this relationship, underscoring the positive influence of exercise on adolescent behavior.

Sensory-processing sensitivity, parenting styles, and adult attachment patterns in parents of young children

ABSTRACT Background Increased sensitivity to internal and external stimuli, known as sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), has been linked to attachment insecurity and less optimal parenting styles in parents of children aged 4–13 years. Associations between these parenting factors in parents of children aged 3 years and younger have not yet been investigated. Understanding the relationships between these factors will facilitate the development of strategies to better support highly sensitive parents. Methods A sample of 153 parents of children aged 3 years and younger completed an online survey comprising standardised measures of SPS, attachment, and infant parenting styles. The underlying factor structure of the Infancy Parenting Styles Questionnaire was investigated. Results Factor analysis identified 33 items loading onto five factors: Discipline, Routine, Anxiety, Nurturance, and Involvement, with moderate to high reliability. SPS was positively correlated with parenting anxiety, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance, but did not predict parenting style. Younger parent age was associate with more insecure attachment styles. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that variability in parenting anxiety was predicted only by attachment anxiety and having fewer children. Conclusion While SPS was not seen to predict parenting anxiety, relationships between SPS, parenting anxiety, and insecure attachment suggest that strategies tailored to SPS would support highly sensitive parents to care for their children and promote improved parent–child relationships. These strategies may therefore be a beneficial addition to attachment-based parenting programs. Further studies using the Toddler Parenting Styles Questionnaire (TPSQ) are needed to identify optimal parenting styles for parents of infants and toddlers.

A window into Their World: How Video Visits Facilitate Father–Child Relationships

AbstractMaintaining the parent–child relationship while a parent is incarcerated is critical to the well-being of both parent and child. There is some evidence that video visits can be beneficial when they are used to supplement rather than replace in-person visits. This study explores how video visits support the father–child relationship during parental incarceration. Research was conducted with two public prisons in New South Wales, Australia, during the period of COVID-19 restrictions. Interviews with children’s carers (n = 17) and fathers (n = 27) were analysed to identify the ways fathers engaged with their children and the benefits of the relationship. Three themes were identified: show and tell, which explored how the visual element of video visits contributed to parent–child interactions; part of their world, which identified how video visits became integrated into children’s everyday lives; and along for the ride, which focused on child-initiated interactions. Challenges of using video visits were also explored in two themes: difficulty engaging, which showed how fathers and children can struggle to communicate and interact, and timing and transitions, which highlighted how video visits could be difficult or disruptive to children’s mood and routines. Overall, video visits were perceived as enabling interactions that strengthened the engagement and relationship between the father and child.

The Influence of Parental Education Involvement on the Social Development Level of Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Parent-child Relationship

In this study, 302 junior high school students aged 12 to 15 were selected as the research objects to investigate the overall situation of parental education investment, parent-child relationship and social development level of junior high school students. Simultaneously, the relationship between parental education investment and parent-child relationship and adolescent social development level was investigated. The results indicate that significant differences exist in the level of social development between adolescents with high scores and those with low scores. whether it is parental education involvement or parent-child relationship. There is a significant positive correlation between parental education involvement and parent-child relationship, parental education involvement and adolescent social development, parent-child relationship and adolescent social development; among them, parent-child relationship plays a significant mediating role in the path of parental education involvement affecting adolescents ' social development. Therefore, we should increase the participation of parents in education and strengthen the construction of parent-child relationship to promote the social development of adolescents.

(Dis)connecting families: Parents’ versus children's perspectives on the role of mobile devices within family interactions

The characteristics of mobile technology devices have enabled new ways of integrating technology in familial interactions. This study aimed to investigate (1) differences in perspectives of technoference and family-oriented mobile technology use between parents and children, (2) the relation between parent–child interactions that take place via mobile technology and the quality of the parent–child relationship, and (3) its association with the well-being of parents and preadolescents separately. Structural equation modelling was performed on cross-sectional data from 390 parent–child dyads. The findings revealed discrepancies in child technoference perceptions and varying associations of the different types of mobile technology use with the parent–child relationship and parents' and children's well-being. From children's perspective, both parent and child technoference was negative for the parent–child relationship, whereas family-oriented mobile technology use when physically together was beneficial for the relationship and the child's well-being. From parents’ perspective, only child technoference was negatively related to the parent–child relationship and parent's well-being. Overall, the findings underline that mobile technology use can be both detrimental and beneficial, however, the effects can differ depending on the family member and the type of technology use.

Parasocial parenting, adoption, and monetization of the “internet parent” with the Griswolds on TikTok

This study investigates parasocial relationships between adolescents and a genre of TikTok microcelebrities who construct themselves as “Internet Parents.” We analyze Alex and Melinda Griswold's construction of themselves as the “mom and dad of TikTok” through their videos, comment sections, and off-platform interactive content. We ask how the Griswolds construct parasocial intimacy through modes of familial address, how viewers make sense of parasocial intimacy, and how the Griswolds monetize familial parasocial intimacy. Findings reveal how the Griswolds construct parasocial intimacy with their audience through the use of adoption rhetoric and engaging narrative structures, which viewers identify with by expressing their desire for a parent–child relationship with the Griswolds as their adopted children. However, these moments of parasocial intimacies become transformed through influencer economies that commodify social relationships. Ultimately, we consider the ethical obligations of the Griswolds to their target audience of adopted children .

Mediating effects of child schema mode in the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in college students

This study was aimed to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying non-suicidal self-injurious behavior. For this purpose, we hypothesized that dysfunctional child modes act as a psychological mechanism to influence the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and current cognitions (catastrophizing), emotions (emotional dysregulation and depression), and behaviors (non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors). A sample of 430 college students (male 97, female 333) with experience of non-suicidal self-injurious behavior was selected to test the multi-mediation effects of child schema mode (angry, impulsive), catastrophizing, emotional dysregulation, and depression on the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and non-suicidal self-injury. As a result of structural equation modeling analysis, it was found that negative parent-child relationships in childhood directly influenced child schema mode, catastrophizing, depression, and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors. In addition, it was found that negative parent-child relationships in childhood were dually mediated by child schema mode and depression and child schema mode and emotional dysregulation. The present study highlights the mediating role of child schema modes as a psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior. Based on these findings, the usefulness and direction of schema therapy interventions in the field of non-suicidal self-injury counseling are discussed.

Predicting Children’s Mental Well-Being During COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Maternal Cognitive Emotion Regulation

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of warm, supportive, and positive relationships caused behavioral and psychological problems in children. This study aimed to predict the psychological well-being of primary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic based on parental self-efficacy and cognitive emotion regulation in mothers based on the mediating role of the parent-child relationship. Methods: The present applied research used a descriptive correlation in terms of data collection and analysis. This research was conducted on 385 cases, including students and their parents, who were selected using a random sampling method. The research instruments included the Reef&amp;apos;s psychological well-being questionnaire (18 questions), Johnston and Mash parenting sense of competence scale, Garnefski&amp;apos;s cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire, and Fine&amp;apos;s parent-child relationship scale. Two psychology experts assessed the face validity of the questionnaires. Reliability of the questionnaires was measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Results: The average total scores of psychological well-being, parenting sense of competence, parent-child relationship, and cognitive emotion regulation were 68, 58.3, 72.1, and 61.4, respectively. Maternal cognitive emotion regulation was a significant predictor of the parent-child relationship (p&amp;lt; 0.01). We found that parenting sense of competence and maternal cognitive emotion regulation were able to predict students&amp;apos; psychological well-being through parent-child relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Increasing the level of parenting sense of competence and regulating parental emotions can improve the relationship between parents and their children.

Parenting Styles as Predictors of Adolescents’ Susceptibility to Peer Pressure in Secondary Schools in Anambra State, Nigeria

This study examined the relationship among the four levels of parenting styles and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents in Anambra State, Nigeria. Six research questions and saix hypotheses guided the study. The design of the study was correlational research design. The population comprised 55,696 adolescents in senior secondary schools in Anambra State. A sample size of 1,000 senior secondary school students were selected through proportionate stratified and convenience sampling techniques. The research instrument that was used in the study is a validated and reliable questionnaire. Multiple regression statistics was used to test hypotheses 1-5 while the Fisher-z statistics were used to test hypothesis 6. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between four parenting styles and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents; that there is a significant relationship between authoritative parenting style and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents; that there is a significant relationship between authoritarian parenting style and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents; that there is a significant relationship between permissive parenting style and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents; and that there is a significant relationship between neglecting parenting style and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents. The study however, revealed that there is no significant moderating impact of sex in the relationship between parenting styles and peer pressure among senior secondary school Adolescents in Anambra State. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended amongst others, that Guidance counsellors should provide parenting workshops and resources that educate parents on the different parenting styles and the importance of fostering open communication, clear expectations, and warmth in the parent-child relationship, regardless of the specific style used.