Journal of Family Psychology最新文献

This study aimed to explore how first-time (heterosexual) fathers' involvement in caregiving and paid work roles was (co)constructed with their partners during the transition to parenthood-a period that entails unique adaptations and emotional experiences for fathers. Importantly, the emergence of the father role occurs within a relational context. However, few studies use a dyadic lens, and even fewer take a longitudinal approach to capture these unfolding dynamics during the transition to parenthood. An even smaller number combine these perspectives with a qualitative approach to understand how fathers construct and negotiate their new role within the coparenting relationship. We conducted semistructured individual interviews with Portuguese couples in two waves: during the third trimester of pregnancy and 18 months after birth. We analyzed data from 40 interviews (10 couples in total) using dyadic-longitudinal qualitative analysis. We grouped couples into one of three groups, which capture broad patterns and typical behaviors, values, and beliefs about work and parenting roles: "working fathers, caregiving mothers," "in-between care and work," and "equal care, equal work." Fathers' involvement in caregiving and paid work roles begins to take shape early in pregnancy through co-constructive processes, influenced by an interplay of individual and shared expectations, and available resources. Our findings highlight challenges faced during the transition to parenthood that may inform the development of psychological interventions that foster a supportive and adaptive family environment and promote fathers' involvement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This study explores the associations between consistent family mealtime schedules, parental and child control of food intake at 24 months, and children's internalizing and externalizing (EXT) symptoms at 36 months. Data were drawn from an observational cohort of 300 parent-child dyads, with analyses conducted on 270 families for whom complete data were available. Using both observational assessments and caregiver reports, we examined whether mealtime consistency and feeding strategies predicted internalizing and EXT symptoms, with the family's emotional climate during mealtimes as a potential moderator. Internalizing and EXT symptoms were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and family climate was coded from videos of family meals in the child's home at 24 months. Linear regression analyses, adjusting for gestational age, maternal education, race, and income, revealed that consistent family mealtime schedules were inversely associated with EXT symptoms at 36 months (β = -0.27, p < .05). Consistent mealtime schedules predicted lower EXT symptoms when mealtime emotional climate was high-quality (β = -0.58, p = .0003) but not when it was low-quality (β = 0.10, p = .56). These findings suggest that structured mealtime schedules, combined with warm, positive family interactions, may foster emotional security and support behavioral regulation in early childhood. Given the scarcity of observational studies on home mealtime environments, this study provides valuable insights into how family meals influence child behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

We investigated the influence of parental depressive symptoms on interactive synchrony, an indicator of parent-infant interaction quality. Although research has shown the negative impact of maternal depressive symptoms-both prenatal and postnatal-on interactive synchrony, little is known about the impact of paternal depressive symptoms, particularly prenatal ones. From a family systems perspective, parental mental health is interdependent, with one parent's symptoms often associated with their partner's. However, it has not been investigated whether prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms in one parent are associated with their partner's interactive synchrony with the infant. We hypothesized that higher prenatal depressive symptoms reported by both parents would be associated with reduced interactive synchrony in their own (actor effects) and in their partner's (partner effects; no directional hypothesis was specified based on previous findings) interactions with the infant. We also hypothesized postnatal depressive symptoms as mediators of target associations. Using an actor-partner interdependence mediation model, we analyzed data from 86 families. Both parents reported their symptoms at 36-38 weeks of pregnancy and 3-4 months after birth. Interactive synchrony was observed during a lab visit at the postnatal assessment. For mothers only, we found significant actor effects between higher prenatal symptoms and reduced interactive synchrony. No partner effects emerged nor did postnatal symptoms play a mediator role. A total effect from paternal prenatal symptoms to mother-infant interactive synchrony emerged. These findings highlight the importance of both parents in research on interactive synchrony to improve the understanding of reciprocal influences within the family. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Qualitative studies have indicated that maternal gatekeeping has a significant effect on low-income, unmarried, nonresident fathers' involvement with children. Very few quantitative studies of maternal gatekeeping have been conducted with these fathers. The present study addresses this gap using a community sample of 649 low-income, unmarried, nonresident (n = 548), and coresident (n = 101) fathers. Fathers' perceptions of mothers' restrictive gatekeeping and encouragement were examined in relation to fathers' responsibility for and emotional support of children from infancy through adolescence. Multivariate analyses indicated fathers were significantly less involved in responsibility when mothers engaged in higher levels of restrictive gatekeeping. There was a positive main effect for fathers' perceptions of mothers' encouragement on fathers' emotional support of children. Moderation analyses showed a significantly stronger positive association between encouragement and responsibility among nonresident fathers compared with coresident fathers, even after controlling for restrictive gatekeeping. These findings point to the importance of researchers' and practitioners' attention to encouragement as well as restrictive gatekeeping. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Latina immigrant mothers living in emerging immigrant destinations often face geographic isolation, discrimination, and socioeconomic stress that adversely affect parenting and mental health. This longitudinal mixed-methods study examined whether neighborhood cohesion contributed to parental knowledge among Latina immigrant mothers in predominantly rural Midwestern communities and whether maternal mental health mediated this relation. Quantitative data (N = 232, M_age = 38.7 years, 60% married, median household income = $30k-$40k) showed that higher neighborhood cohesion at Wave 1 was associated with greater parental knowledge at Wave 2, indirectly through lower levels of maternal mental health problems. Qualitative interviews (N = 19) enriched these findings by revealing that even weak social connections could provide meaningful instrumental, informational, and emotional support. However, barriers like racial discrimination and resource scarcity limited the potential benefits of neighborhood cohesion for some mothers. Together, these findings highlight the indirect role of neighborhood cohesion in supporting parenting by reducing psychological distress and underscore the importance of strengthening community-based support systems for Latina immigrant mothers in emerging immigrant destinations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This study investigated the associations among stigma in health care settings, parental positive identity (i.e., a multidimensional and affirming sense of self that emerges from navigating parenthood as an lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified individual within a cis-heteronormative context), and intensive parenting attitudes (i.e., a parenting ideology marked by a relentless devotion to children's developmental, emotional, and social outcomes) in a sample of cisgender and transgender/nonbinary (TNB) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer parents in Italy. Participants were 197 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer parents (M = 37.23, SD = 7.71; 159 assigned female at birth; 54.82% cisgender, 45.18% TNB), all identifying as White and parenting children aged 0-18 years (M = 5.88, SD = 3.97; 115 assigned female at birth). Findings indicated that TNB parents reported significantly higher levels of health care stigma and endorsement of intensive parenting compared to cisgender parents, though levels of parental positive identity did not differ. Across both groups, greater health care stigma was associated with stronger endorsement of intensive parenting, particularly among those reporting lower positive identity. Notably, only among TNB parents with higher positive identity, greater experiences of stigma were associated with lower endorsement of intensive parenting. These findings underscore parental positive identity as a key psychological resource that buffers the negative impact of health care stigma on parenting attitudes. They also suggest that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer parents may internalize pressure to overperform by adopting intensive parenting norms in response to minority stress. The study emphasizes the need to integrate strength-based frameworks into lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer parenting research and to advocate for health care policy reforms aimed at reducing structural stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Although many studies report a positive association between parental psychological control and relational aggression, others have found nonsignificant results. This three-level meta-analysis aimed to explore the relation between parental psychological control and relational aggression across developmental stages from preschool to college and test potential moderating factors. China National Knowledge Infrastructure, APA PsycInfo, Web of Science, Elsevier, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were systematically searched until April 2023. A three-level meta-analysis was conducted on included studies. Fifty-seven studies comprising 20,719 participants and 448 effect sizes were included. Findings revealed a significant positive association between parental psychological control and relational aggression. This relation was significantly moderated by the developmental period and by the informants of parental psychological control and relational aggression. This review helps clarify the association between parental psychological control and relational aggression and highlights key moderators of this relation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The perinatal period has been identified as a transitional time for parents, which can bring the experience of positive emotions as well as new stressors. In addition, social changes that occur during the perinatal period may contribute to increases in perceived isolation or provide opportunities to forge new connections. The positive mental and physical health benefits of social connection-the extent to which people feel close and connected to others-are widely supported. Given the unique neurobiological and psychological changes that occur during pregnancy and postpartum, we propose that feelings of social connection are especially important for protecting mental health and well-being during the perinatal period, which could also affect the developing child. Here, we outline a theoretical model of perceived connectedness during the perinatal period and identify key questions for future research, with a particular focus on parents' mental health and child developmental outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Despite growing concerns regarding the development of hope among adolescents, the longitudinal relationship between parental-adolescent attachment, peer attachment, self-concept clarity, and hope remains far from being fully understood. This three-wave longitudinal study (6 months apart) across 1 year examined the relationship between attachment with parents and peers, self-concept clarity, and hope in 1,312 adolescents (age range 12-18, M_age = 14.29, SD = 1.38; 50.2% males) by using cross-lagged panel models. The results revealed a bidirectional relationship between hope and parental attachment across all three waves. In addition, hope was found to be positively associated with subsequent peer attachment across the three waves, while peer attachment at T1 was positively linked to hope at T2. Furthermore, self-concept clarity emerged as a longitudinal mediator in the relationship between both parental and peer attachment and hope. These findings underscore the potential implications for intervention programs focused on enhancing attachment and self-concept clarity to foster increased hope among adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The present study examined the indirect association between family economic hardship and infant socioemotional competence and behavior problems via food insecurity, maternal depressive symptoms, and maternal sensitivity. The moderating role of infant temperament on these family stress processes was also examined. The sample included 299 mother-infant dyads followed at four time points from pregnancy until infants were 14 months old. Mothers reported demographics, household food insecurity, and depressive symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy. At 2 months postpartum, mothers reported depressive symptoms and infant temperament, including negative emotionality, surgency, and effortful control. Maternal sensitivity was observed at 6 months, and mothers reported infant behavior problems and socioemotional competence and their own depressive symptoms at 14 months. Consistent with hypotheses, economic hardship was positively associated with concurrent household food insecurity, which predicted higher prenatal depressive symptoms and subsequent maternal depressive symptoms at 2 months. Maternal depressive symptoms predicted later lower maternal sensitivity, which in turn predicted lower infant socioemotional competence. There was a significant buffering effect of infant negative emotionality such that maternal sensitivity significantly predicted higher socioemotional competence when infant negative emotionality was high. Finally, the conditional indirect pathway from food insecurity to emotional competence through depressive symptoms and maternal sensitivity was significant only for infants high on negative emotionality. Results indicate that low infant negative emotionality is a unique resilience factor that protects infants from the adverse effects of economic hardship on their emotional competence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).