Journal of Family Psychology最新文献

Activation parenting (AP) emphasizes encouraging children to face challenging and potentially novel situations in ways that may promote self-regulation (SR) and engagement (i.e., curiosity and persistence). Although AP was initially theorized to be unique to fathers, new research and updated conceptualizations include mothers. Conscious use of AP in response to child distress also remains untested. This study adapted the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale to assess maternal and paternal AP and their concurrent relations with child SR and engagement. The sample included 678 caregivers of 2- to 5-year-old children (n = 66 fathers and n = 612 mothers). Four items from the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale were selected a priori based on alignment with AP to create a composite score. Path analysis was used to assess concurrent relations between AP strategies and caregiver-reported child SR and engagement. Supportive parenting strategies that encourage coping through external support (e.g., soothing) or in situations that do not include parental challenges to the child (e.g., an accident) were included as covariates. Additional covariates included child sex, child age, and caregiver employment. AP strategies were positively associated with child SR and engagement. Strengths of relations between parenting strategies and child behavior did not significantly differ for AP and other supportive parenting responses. Caregiver gender did not moderate relations. Though limited by a reliance on cross-sectional, parent-report data, this study adds to a growing body of literature on the importance of AP as a general parenting construct that may be leveraged to support SR development. (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).

An increasing number of children grow up in joint physical custody (JPC), prompting interest in how this arrangement affects their development. Particularly, questions about the impact of JPC on early attachment development have placed young children at the forefront of scholarly attention. Yet, no systematic synthesis of research has examined attachment development in young children living in JPC, nor is there a comprehensive examination of how this research has been conducted. Thus, the present scoping review identifies and systematically compiles all available research on attachment of young children in JPC. Despite frequent references to attachment theory in the literature on JPC, only 10 studies explicitly grounded in attachment theory were found, revealing a much thinner evidence base than often assumed. These studies vary widely in forms of JPC, sample characteristics, and methodologies, and their findings are inconsistent. This heterogeneity likely reflects both societal changes over the past 3 decades, of relevance for JPC, and a diversity in how attachment theory is interpreted and applied. Theoretical differences have in turn shaped study designs, methodologies, and conclusions, ultimately influencing how attachment in young children in JPC is conceptualized and assessed. Furthermore, most research emphasizes behavioral outcomes rather than children's inner experiences, limiting our understanding of attachment processes. The review highlights these challenges and proposes directions for more coherent and theory-informed future research. (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).

Parental burnout arises from persistent and severe parenting stress and is mainly characterized by profound exhaustion in the parental role. Whereas much of the research on this condition relies on questionnaires, developmental studies advocate for the use of spontaneous speech samples to capture naturalistic parenting experiences. The coded "expressed emotion" (EE) within these speech samples has proven to be a valid indicator of the emotional climate of the parent-child relationship and meaningfully maps onto measures of parental well-being. This study used EE as a lens to examine parental burnout by first comparing EE between parents applying for parental burnout treatment and a control group and, second, by exploring associations between parents' EE and their parental burnout scores. A total of 106 Belgian parents (94.3% mothers, mostly aged 30-39 years), including 55 parents applying for parental burnout treatment and 51 parents in a control group, completed the Parental Burnout Assessment and were prompted to talk for 5 min about how they feel as a parent. These speech samples were coded based on EE, with coders being blind to participants' parental burnout scores and group memberships. Most parents applying for treatment (90.9%) showed high EE and demonstrated more criticism, higher emotional overinvolvement, and lower warmth compared to the control group, with substantial effect sizes. Criticism showed the strongest association with parents' parental burnout scores. This study highlights the promising benefits of listening to naturally provided cues in parents' spontaneous speech about parenthood, thereby pointing toward crucial pathways for the detection of parental burnout. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Evidence supports the positive impact of MotherWise, an individual-oriented relationship education program delivered to perinatal women and birthing people from underresourced communities, on relationship skills, attitudes, and individual and relationship functioning. This study examined whether individuals' sociodemographic disadvantage was associated with (a) preprogram levels and (b) differential program effects. Participants (M_age = 28 years) were randomly assigned to MotherWise (n = 512) or a control group (n = 437). Most participants identified as Hispanic (66%), had accessed government benefits recently (73%), and were partnered (85%). Sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, education, public assistance use, employment status, having children from previous relationships, and history of incarceration) were examined individually and as a cumulative index. Relationship skills (i.e., romantic relationship and conflict management skills), attitudes (i.e., disapproval of relationship violence), negative communication, and depressive symptoms were assessed at enrollment and 1 year and 2.5 years postenrollment. Multilevel models were conducted. MotherWise demonstrated positive long-term effects on relationship skills and attitudes, with no effects on negative communication or depression at these time points. Overall, there was no evidence of differential program effects across individual or cumulative sociodemographic risks. However, greater cumulative risk and some risks measured individually-especially incarceration history-were associated with lower baseline scores for skills and attitudes and higher baseline scores for negative communication and depression, suggesting greater needs among these individuals. Although MotherWise led to better outcomes for participants with varying risk factors, additional modifications or adaptations may be necessary to achieve equitable outcomes, ensuring all participants reach similar postprogram levels. (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).

Previous research suggests that increased parental stressful life events are associated with increased risks for children's internalizing symptoms. Despite the strong support for this model, limited prior work has explored the mechanism underlying this association. The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal relationships between the history of maternal and paternal stressful life events experienced during adolescence, parent-child relationship quality, and internalizing symptoms in young adulthood. Participants for the present study included 923 adolescents (T1: M_age = 17.0, T2: M_age = 23.3, 50.8% identified as female) and their parents from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Maternal- and paternal-specific structural equation models were conducted to examine the relationship between parental stressful life events in middle adolescence and internalizing symptoms in young adulthood through parent-child relationship quality while controlling for key covariates. Father-reported stressful life events during the previous year were associated with less positive father-reported father-child relationship quality during adolescence, which was associated with an increased risk for internalizing symptoms in young adulthood. Mother-reported stressful life events did not predict mother-child relationship quality in adolescence. However, mother-child relationship quality in adolescence was associated with young adult internalizing symptoms. The indirect effects linking stressful life events to internalizing symptoms through parent-child relationship quality were not significant for either mothers or fathers. These results highlight the significance of paternal stressful life events for parent-child relationship quality and the importance of father-inclusive parenting interventions that could address these dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Children's self-regulation skills have important developmental implications for a variety of outcomes, and parenting practices are instrumental in shaping these self-regulatory skills. Given the variations in associations observed across different populations and inconsistencies in measurement methods, we specifically evaluate different dimensions of parenting styles regarding how behaviors promote, suppress, or passively contribute to child independence and development of self-regulation skills. We utilize a meta-analytic approach to investigate whether different types of parenting engagement predict children's self-regulation abilities and evaluate moderation effects attributed to measurement strategies, sample characteristics, study design, and publication source qualities. Random-effects models with the 62 total included studies yielded significant main effects for supportive (k = 42) parenting and suppressive (k = 50) parenting, but not passive (k = 10) parenting. Parenting style reporting method was confirmed to be a significant moderator for supportive parenting, suppressive parenting, and passive parenting. Findings of the present study emphasize the benefits of supportive parenting and the detriments of suppressive parenting in fostering self-regulation skills across childhood and adolescence. While the directionality of these associations was unsurprising, the alignment in magnitude and therefore near-perfectly antagonistic roles for establishing children's independent regulation is a striking new contribution to developmental science. The inclusion of passive parenting did not yield significant main effects for the child self-regulation outcome, but the positive trend observed provides a baseline for future reviews to build upon. Implications for these meta-analyses include tailoring of intervention programs to include responsive parenting practices and strategies to reduce punitive discipline approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Couples living with low incomes in the United States experience greater relational distress relative to couples with more financial resources. Drawing from the family stress model, which argues that economic strain is a catalyst for relational distress, one approach to improve the relationships of couples with low incomes might be addressing and ameliorating families' financial difficulties. This study tested this possibility using secondary data from the Baby's First Years project, a randomized controlled trial of ongoing unconditional cash transfers to mothers. We examined the impact of receiving $333/month (relative to $20/month in a control group) on mothers' relationship quality and relationship status at 1 and 2 years postrandomization, which included the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Multigroup models and path analyses were employed to investigate moderators and potential mechanisms contributing to differences across conditions. Randomization into the higher cash condition was not associated with relationship quality at Year 1 (b = -0.02, p = .792) or Year 2 (b = -0.02, p = .613). Likewise, there were no significant direct effects of cash assistance on relationship status at Year 1 (OR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.62, 1.42]) or Year 2 (OR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.52, 1.20]). There was minimal evidence that effects were significant for a subset of mothers, and there were no significant indirect effects on the relational outcomes through individual or economic factors. Results of this study indicate that additional resources are likely needed to alleviate low-income couples' financial strain and improve intimate bonds. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).