Journal of Family Psychology最新文献

In the United States, the lives of millions of children with undocumented parents are overshadowed by the threat of family separation. This qualitative study investigates how parents who have proactively engaged in family deportation planning, such as choosing a standby guardian, communicate these decisions to their children. It draws on in-depth interviews with 27 undocumented parents with at least one U.S. citizen child under 18. Findings reveal that parents' discussions are influenced by the children's age, their experiences with immigration enforcement, and their immigration status. Younger children typically remain unaware of these issues, whereas older children, especially those exposed to enforcement, have a greater understanding. Parents often struggled with the decision to disclose information, balancing the desire to protect their children emotionally with the need to prepare them for potential separations. The study highlights parents' efforts to decriminalize their undocumented status, often using heritage stories and future aspirations to frame their situation positively. Parents also simplified guardianship concepts by introducing the guardian as a trusted figure to reassure their children. These strategies align with professional recommendations for immigration socialization, emphasizing developmentally appropriate discussions about immigration status and family plans. The results underscore the need for tailored support services for undocumented families to help them navigate these complex conversations and prepare for potential disruptions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Research suggests that cultural stress positively predicts depressive symptoms among Hispanic immigrants through compromised family functioning. However, little research has examined whether the indirect effects of parents' and adolescents' cultural stress on their own depressive symptoms-via their perceptions of parent-adolescent communication-are moderated by the level of cultural stress experienced by the other family member. The present study was designed to examine (a) mediated effects and (b) moderated mediation effects of cultural stress on depressive symptoms for both parents and adolescents through parent-adolescent communication. A longitudinal structural equation model was estimated using data from 302 recent immigrant Hispanic families in Miami (n = 152) and Los Angeles (n = 150). Parents' and adolescents' cultural stress positively predicted their depressive symptoms through their own reports of impaired parent-adolescent communication. Additionally, we found significant moderated mediated effects of cultural stress on depressive symptoms for both parents and adolescents through their respective reports of impaired parent-adolescent communication. Specifically, the mediated effects of one family member's cultural stress on their depressive symptoms via parent-adolescent communication were significant only when the other family member's cultural stress was relatively low. These findings suggest that Hispanic immigrant families where parents' and adolescents' cultural stress levels do not align are vulnerable to poor parent-adolescent communication and subsequent depressive symptoms. Family interventions should be designed to build a standardized family position on experiences of cultural stress in a new context, aiming to reduce gaps in cultural stress and mitigate mental health disparities faced by vulnerable Hispanic families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Though Family System Theory supported that function of members in the family are shaped by their interactions with all members in the family unit, many previous studies have often focused on the perspective of only one parent without considering the dynamics between both parents. This study investigates the effects of positive coparenting perceptions on child social skills via parenting stress within the framework of the dyadic family system. Utilizing the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study included 3,003 fathers and mothers who were interviewed when the focal child was 3 years old. An actor-partner interdependence model was employed to include both actor and partner effects. Results indicate a negative association between positive coparenting perceptions and parental stress for both mothers and fathers, with no significant partner effects observed. Further analysis using actor-partner interdependence model mediation models revealed that maternal parenting stress mediated the relationship between mother's perception of positive coparenting and child social skills, while no direct or indirect effects were found for father's perception of positive coparenting. These findings identify the role of positive coparenting on parenting stress within a dyadic family system and highlight roles of maternal factors in child social skills. Implications for family therapy and intervention programs are discussed. Future research is needed to deepen our understanding of coparenting dynamics and their impact on child development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Intergenerational households and labor migration are common characteristics of many rural Chinese communities. Intergenerational caregivers offer various forms of autonomy support to nurture children's development, especially when parents migrate to industrialized areas for work. To understand such support, primary caregivers, including 21 parents and 24 grandparents from families with various migration trends, were recruited from a southwest rural village with a high migration flow. All caregivers participated in interviews about their developmental ideals for children and how they help children meet these expectations. All caregivers defined the developmental ideals as Zili (self-reliance), Qinkuai (diligence) when completing chores, Zijue (self-awareness) in learning, and social and reflective skills while putting self-directed effort into learning. Emphasis on educational attainment for future independence, expanding intellectual horizons, and imparting moral knowledge supported children's psychological autonomy. Welcoming children's personal preferences and granting children the necessary space to manage their time-ideals apparent in industrialized societies-were also evident. Action autonomy support included using chores to train action, expecting behavioral self-reliance, and forming relevant habits as early in the life cycle as practical. When comparing two generations, most grandparents emphasized children's effort in learning, whereas parents stressed children's prosocial behaviors, sibling roles, and commitment to expanding intellectual horizons. All caregivers from families experiencing long-term parental migration put more emphasis on children's academic self-awareness and effort, fulfilling children's preferences, and teaching moral judgment compared to short-term and nonmigrant families. Childrearing goals reflected adaptive responses to children's expression of autonomy and intergenerational support regardless of migration status. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Immigrant mothers and children in Hong Kong are at a high risk of developing anxiety. The multidimensional model of resilience emphasizes the pivotal role of intergenerational interactions across resilience-supporting systems at both the individual and family levels in safeguarding mental health. However, the interacting processes by which the multilevel resilience of mothers and children mitigate their mental health risks remain unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the intergenerational dynamics between individual and family resilience in mitigating anxiety among 200 immigrant mother-child dyads in Hong Kong. The actor-partner interdependence moderation model was used to analyze how individual resilience interacted with family resilience to counteract the anxiety of immigrant mothers and children. The results showed that there was intergenerational interdependence between mothers' and children' individual resilience and family resilience. Mothers' individual resilience interacted with their family resilience to protect against their anxiety. Notably, the results demonstrated protective intergenerational effects from mothers to children, in which both mothers' and children's individual resilience interacted with mothers' family resilience to counteract children's anxiety. In conclusion, mothers' family resilience functions as a buffer against anxiety among mothers and children when they have low individual resilience. By clarifying the intergenerational interactions of multilevel resilience, our findings call for mother-child dyadic interventions targeting those with low individual and family resilience to promote their emotional well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Youth who perceive autonomy restrictions tend to have more conflicts with their parents and perceive lower support from them. This association between restrictions on autonomy and parent-youth conflicts and support may intensify when youth have stronger desires for autonomy. This study examined (a) the association of youth's perceptions of parental autonomy restrictions and their desires for autonomy with conflicts with and support from parents, and (b) the differences in autonomy restrictions and desires between youth with and without an immigration background, as well as (c) whether these associations differ for both groups. The analyses for this study were based on a sample of 975 youth in late adolescence and young adulthood (M_age = 18.12, SD = 1.94; range 16-25; 42% female; 29% with an immigration background). Results showed that perceiving more autonomy restrictions were associated with more conflicts and less support, especially for youth who reported stronger desires for autonomy. Youth with an immigration background perceived more autonomy restrictions and reported lower desires than those without an immigration background. Autonomy restrictions were not associated with parent-youth conflicts or support for youth with an immigration background, different from those without an immigration background. However, the interplay between autonomy restrictions, desires, and parent-youth conflicts and support did not differ significantly by immigration background. The findings underscore the importance of considering both youth's desire for autonomy and their immigration background when examining parenting behaviors and the parent-youth relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Mothers with depression often experience guilt related to parenting. Studies on the relation between parenting guilt and depression have been primarily cross-sectional; consequently, it is unclear whether heightened parenting guilt is a correlate, predictor, or consequence of depressive symptoms. This brief report examines longitudinal and reciprocal relations between maternal guilt and depressive symptoms over a 9-month period using methods that disentangle between- and within-person variability. Evidence that within-person changes in maternal guilt predict subsequent changes in depression symptoms, or evidence of reciprocal within-person effects, would provide more stringent evidence for the utility of addressing maternal guilt in treatment of depression among mothers. At three time points over 9 months, 225 U.S. mothers with a previous mood disorder reported on depression symptoms and parenting guilt. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) was used to differentiate between-person and within-person effects. Maternal guilt and depressive symptoms were significantly related at the between-person level, with moderate concurrent correlations. Significant within-person, cross-lagged effects were found from maternal guilt to later depression, but not from depression to maternal guilt. In other words, increases or decreases in parenting guilt from a mother's "norm" predicted a subsequent, corresponding change in the severity of her depressive symptoms. These findings establish temporal precedence at the within-person level, highlighting that maternal guilt may be one potentially amenable mechanism influencing the course of depressive symptoms in mothers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The experience of childhood physical and sexual abuse has been consistently associated with a number of deleterious effects that extend across the lifespan, which has increased research interest in the risk for intergenerational continuity of abuse (i.e., a parent with a history of abuse who has a child who also experiences abuse). Although a number of potential risk factors have been posited or examined individually, prior literature often fails to account for associations among these risk factors, which limits intervention and prevention efforts. In the present study, secondary data were analyzed from 410 mother-child dyads. These data came from a deidentified clinical database of families with substantiated cases of child maltreatment. The present study used network analysis to explore the interconnection between risk factors associated with the continuity of sexual and physical abuse. Results showed that intergenerational continuity of sexual abuse was present for 8.5% of the sample, and intergenerational continuity of physical abuse was present for 7.8% of the sample. Mothers' substance use disorder and greater symptoms of hostility were directly associated with the intergenerational continuity of sexual abuse. No factors aside from the mother's and child's experience of physical abuse were directly associated with intergenerational continuity of physical abuse, in the network analysis. However, multiple patterns of risk emerged as indirectly connected to the intergenerational continuity of both sexual and physical abuse, which emphasized the importance of maternal mental health and adversity across the lifespan. Future research and clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Hope, or positive expectancies to meet desired goals, may shape romantic couples' goal attainment and well-being. The current work tested a new theoretical model of hope that extends beyond the intrapersonal domain to examine interpersonal hope for goals focused on a partner and relationship. In Study 1 (N = 214 couples), we tested the associations of relational hope on goal outcomes during a goal conversation in the lab and at a follow-up 3 months later. Individuals higher in relational hope viewed their goal more positively in the moment and made more progress on their goal 3 months later. In Study 2 (N = 164 couples), a 3-month longitudinal study, we tested whether hopeful individuals' goal pursuit facilitated long-term changes in relationship well-being. Relational hope predicted long-term increases in relationship well-being (i.e., constructive conflict behavior, commitment), and these changes were mediated by viewing one's relationship goals more positively. Results were consistent across the characteristics of relationship goals, including whether goals were shared and their degree of importance and difficulty. Across studies, results could not be fully explained by alternative explanations of optimism or relationship satisfaction, indicating that relational hope may be an added resource for couples beyond feeling generally happy or satisfied. Altogether, this work elucidates the benefits of feeling relationally hopeful for pursuing relationship goals and boosting well-being over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Several studies have shown that childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with lower relationship and sexual satisfaction in individuals and their partners in adulthood. However, the handful of studies that considered both partners' CM histories did not account for the magnitude or direction of similarity and dissimilarity between their experiences. The present study aimed at filling these gaps by examining how both partners' (dis)similar CM levels were associated with relationship and sexual satisfaction using dyadic response surface analysis. A sample of 581 mixed gender couples completed online self-report questionnaires on CM, relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction. Results indicated that, compared with shared midlevels of CM, both men and women reported greater relationship and sexual satisfaction when they shared either higher or, especially, lower CM levels. In addition, greater dissimilarity in CM histories was associated with higher relationship and sexual satisfaction in men, regardless of which partner reported greater CM, whereas this association was not significant for women's satisfaction. These findings provide new insights and highlight the complex interplay between partners' CM histories and their associations with couple outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).