Family Process最新文献

Family conflict plays a central role in adolescent mental health. However, little is known about how interparental conflict, father-child conflict, and mother–child conflict interact with and constitute the family context for adolescent mental health. The directionality in these longitudinal relations in the framework of family system theory is also not clear. To bridge these gaps, this study explored the distinct associations among interparental conflict, father-child conflict, and mother–child conflict, as well as the interplay of all three family conflict variables with adolescent mental health (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, and life satisfaction). A sample of 2041 Chinese adolescents (48.41% males; M_age = 16.18 years) participated in this study at two time points spaced three months apart. Data were analyzed using longitudinal network analysis. The results revealed that there were reciprocal relations among family conflict variables. Interparental conflict played a central role in predicting adolescent mental health across all four domains. The effects of father-child conflict on adolescent life satisfaction were found to extend beyond those of mother–child conflict. Adolescent mental health and family conflict mutually predicted each other, demonstrating bidirectional effects. Particularly, adolescent self-esteem contributed to decreases in family conflict and increases in mental health over time. These results underscore the importance of adopting a holistic approach in family interventions and mental health programs, focusing on fostering positive family relationship quality and enhancing adolescents' self-esteem to promote overall family well-being.

High-quality home-school partnership can bring significant benefits to children's learning and wellbeing. While evidence-based parenting programs often target key determinants of high-quality home-school partnership (i.e., parenting self-efficacy and parental self-regulation), it remains unknown whether parenting programs can promote the home-school partnership. The present study, an incomplete stepped wedge cluster randomized trial of an evidence-based parenting program, namely the seminar version of the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program, represents the first attempt in addressing this knowledge gap. Data were collected from a sample of 912 parents of children (range between 4 and 13 years old; 50.2% girls) attending 160 different primary schools across three Australian states. Although the home-school partnership was not the intervention target, we found improvements at post-intervention and three-month follow-up assessments, with small effects in parent–teacher communication (d = 0.16 at T2 and 0.15 at T3) and parent school-based involvement (d = 0.19 at T2 and 0.22 at T3). These findings were systematically replicated through steps. Null findings were found on home-based involvement, parent–school relationship, and parents' perceived quality of the school's involvement in the local community due to potential ceiling effects. The mechanism of change was explored in Part II of the article series. The findings provide additional support to the notion that evidence-based parenting support should be made available in schools, as it not only brings well-documented benefits on children's learning and wellbeing but also has the potential of strengthening the home-school partnership through enhancing the quality of parent–teacher communication and increasing parents' participation in school-based activities.

This study introduces the Black Mother-Daughter Developmental Model (BMDDM), a life course framework that theorizes the evolving relational, psychological, and cultural dynamics of Black mother-daughter relationships across generations. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 Black women aged 18 to 65 and analyzed to examine patterns of attachment, identity development, rupture, and relational repair over time. Findings yielded a five-stage developmental model: (1) Black Matrescence and Prenatal Conditions, (2) Initial Attachment, (3) Separation and Detachment, (4) Negotiation and Reattachment, and (5) Matrescence Redux and Grandmatrescence. Across stages, participants described how gendered racial socialization, maternal trauma histories, and structural stressors shaped relational closeness, conflict, and reconciliation, particularly during key transitions such as adolescence, early adulthood, and the transition into motherhood. The model highlights Black matrescence as a distinct, racialized developmental process and identifies matrescence redux and grandmatrescence as critical periods for intergenerational reflection, boundary renegotiation, and relational healing. The BMDDM offers concrete implications for clinical practice by providing a culturally grounded framework for family therapy, perinatal mental health interventions, and mother-daughter dyadic work with Black families. Additionally, the model has implications for maternal health and family policy by underscoring the need for developmentally informed, anti-racist approaches that support intergenerational wellness and reduce disparities in engagement with mental health services.

Romantic relationships are a cornerstone of adult life, profoundly influencing individuals' overall well-being. When these relationships become distressed, the consequences often extend beyond the couple, affecting families and the communities. Despite growing research on factors associated with couple relationships, much of the existing evidence is limited to the US and English-speaking populations, underscoring the need for studies in other contexts, such as Spanish-speaking couples. Our sample included 68 heterosexual, Spanish-speaking couples from Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain. We examined how differentiation of self and attachment experiences uniquely predicted four dimensions of dyadic adjustment: satisfaction, consensus, cohesion, and affectional expression. We utilized an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), complemented by a Monte Carlo simulation-based power sensitivity analysis. Overall, higher differentiation (i.e., lower emotional reactivity and cutoff) was associated with greater consensus and affectional expression, while higher attachment anxiety and avoidance were linked to decreased satisfaction, cohesion, and affectional expression. Our findings emphasize the complex interplay between romantic partners' differentiation of self, attachment experiences, and relationship well-being. Findings suggest that clinical interventions aimed at enhancing differentiation of self and addressing attachment insecurity may improve relationship functioning. Future research should explore these dynamics in more diverse samples and cultural contexts to further understand the nuances of the current findings and refine clinical interventions for couples.

Dementia is a global health concern often treated as an individual disease. Informed by the Dyadic Illness Management Theory, we posit that dementia is a relational condition that impacts the cognitive, physical, and emotional health of both spousal care-recipients and caregivers. We conducted a critical review of Western and East Asian literature on the dyadic effects of dementia in older couples and found several themes: First, spousal caregivers of those with dementia risk experiencing cognitive decline themselves, a phenomenon we refer to as reciprocal cognitive decline. Second, collectivist and patriarchal values disproportionately place caregiving burdens on East Asian women, contributing to gender differences in caregiving stress. Third, marital quality differentially relates to cognitive functioning among spousal caregivers and care-recipients, with marital loneliness, relationship satisfaction, and depression emerging as potential mechanisms. We underscore the necessity of culturally-relevant, dyadic dementia research and interventions in East Asia. We call for global research to clarify the mechanisms underpinning reciprocal cognitive decline. Clinical recommendations include considering dyadic ramifications of cognitive change in older couples throughout assessment, care-planning, and systemic health management. A case example illustrates key themes and gaps in research and practice.

Parents who experience prenatal and early postnatal psychological distress are at higher risk of exhibiting parental hostility, which has an adverse impact on children's behavioral development. The current study investigated longitudinal associations between mothers' and fathers' early psychological distress and later parental hostility and children's behavior problems. The current study also examined whether perceptions of positive coparenting can serve as a haven of psychological safety to buffer the negative spillover from one's own and one's partner's psychological distress to one's later parental hostility. Data were drawn from the Building Strong Families project. Mothers and fathers (1998 families; 63% Black, 27% White; 16% Latinx; averaged 24 years old) reported their psychological distress during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth and reported their positive coparenting at 15 months. At 36 months, parental hostility was assessed via observations, and mothers reported children's behavior problems. The results showed that when parents perceived low positive coparenting, mothers' greater psychological distress was associated with higher fathers' hostility, whereas fathers' greater psychological distress was associated with lower mothers' hostility; these associations waned when parents perceived high positive coparenting. Both mothers' and fathers' hostility were positively associated with children's internalizing behavior problems, and fathers' hostility was positively associated with children's externalizing behavior problems. Strengthening coparenting relationships may be especially helpful for protecting children from elevated paternal hostility in contexts where mothers face elevated psychological distress.