Background Parent mental health and wellbeing may have implications for understanding attachment transmission. In this systematic review, we synthesise the published literature to determine the nature of the relationship between parent mental health and wellbeing and the intergenerational transmission of attachment and to provide recommendations for future research, clinical practice and intervention. Method Using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach, five electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed empirical studies, published in English. Articles were considered for inclusion if data was collected on adult attachment, child attachment, and a domain of parent mental health/wellbeing. No date parameters were applied to the search strategy. The review was registered with PROPSERO (registration number: CRD42020157247). Results Eleven studies examining the impact on parent mental health and wellbeing on the intergenerational transmission of attachment were identified for inclusion in this review. Our review found preliminary evidence that parent mental health and wellbeing play a role in the intergenerational transmission of attachment. Other key findings from the review were: evidence quality is mixed due to variable measurement of attachment and mental health; studies have mostly included correlational analysis or do not utilise contemporary methodological approaches to testing mediating or moderating relationships; and literature is largely focused on psychopathology and negative factors of mental health. Conclusions The limited scope of parent mental health and wellbeing constructs examined in the literature, the sparse use of robust statistical analyses, and the lack of literature in general makes it difficult to draw conclusions on how and why parent mental health impacts attachment transmission. Addressing these limitations will further progress attachment-related literature and may have particular implications for attachment-informed interventions with clinical populations.

Background Pregnancy is an important time for women’s mental health and marks the foundations of the emerging bond between mother and baby. This study aimed to investigate the role of pregnancy acceptability and intendedness in maternal mental health and bonding during pregnancy. Methods Data were collected from a community sample of 116 Australian pregnant women (M = 29.54, SD = 5.31) through a series of self-report questionnaires pertaining to mental health and antenatal bonding. Results Lower pregnancy acceptability was correlated with higher depression, anxiety and total distress, lower physical and environmental quality of life and lower antenatal bonding. Women who reported their pregnancy was intended reported higher physical quality of life than those who reported their pregnancy was unintended. The relationship between total distress and antenatal bonding was moderated by women’s degree of pregnancy acceptability (low versus high). For women with low acceptability, higher distress was associated with lower bonding, but there was no such association for women with high pregnancy acceptability. The moderation model examining associations between distress and pregnancy acceptability explained 15% of the variance in antenatal bonding scores. Conclusion Consideration of women’s appraisal of their pregnancy acceptability may provide a valuable framework for identifying individuals who may be at risk for mental health and bonding difficulties.

Many parents feel overwhelmed and seek professional assistance in response to their child’s behaviors. Mindfulness-enhanced parenting programs offer an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional gold standard behavioral parent training (BPT). This study explored parents’ descriptions of change following attendance at a mindfulness-enhanced behavioral parent training group program (MeBPT). Our aim was to examine how mindfulness and behavioral components are featured in parents’ change narratives. Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents (N = 9) of 3–12-year-old children, who attended the program 6 months earlier. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Identified themes were triangulated with qualitative comments from N = 266 postgroup parent evaluations and relevant theory. Four themes characterized parents’ change narratives: noticing the struggle, being a mindful parent, trying to implement behavioral strategies, and the importance of the relationship. Parents integrated both mindfulness and behavioral principles in their change narratives, varied in which components were most highly valued, and reported mixed success in applying behavioral parenting strategies. Themes supported the construct validity of mindful parenting mechanisms and measures. Integrating mindfulness components within BPT programs appears to be valued by parents and may represent the next evolution in parenting interventions.

The profound development that occurs during the first five years of a child’s life may contribute to military families with young children facing unique challenges during reintegration. Yet, little is known about the reintegration experiences of military families with young children, and less so from the perspectives of non-deployed parents and families outside of the US. In this qualitative study, we explored the reintegration experiences of Australian Defense Force (ADF) families with young children (five years and younger). Through written responses to open-ended prompts, ADF service members ( n = 9) and their non-deployed spouses ( n = 38) reflected on periods of reintegration and discussed their family’s adaption during this time. Using thematic analysis, six themes representing the reintegration experiences of these families were generated from the data. Four themes were generated from the combined experiences of service members and non-deployed parents, while a further two themes were generated from the experiences of non-deployed parents only. Relational and parenting challenges were at the forefront of reintegration experiences. These findings offer meaningful implications for practice and research to improve the quality of parent-child relationships and enhance outcomes for military families with young children during reintegration.

Background Pregnancy is an important time for women’s mental health and marks the foundations of the emerging bond between mother and baby. This study aimed to investigate the role of pregnancy acceptability and intendedness in maternal mental health and bonding during pregnancy. Methods Data were collected from a sample of 116 Australian pregnant women through a series of self-report questionnaires pertaining to mental health and antenatal bonding. Results Women with low pregnancy acceptability reported higher depression, anxiety and total distress, and lower antenatal bonding, physical and environmental quality of life. Women who reported their pregnancy was intended reported higher physical quality of life than those who reported their pregnancy was unintended. The relationship between total distress and antenatal bonding was moderated by women’s degree of pregnancy acceptability (low versus high). For women with low acceptability, higher distress was associated with lower bonding, but there was no such association for women with high pregnancy acceptability. The moderation model examining associations between distress and pregnancy acceptability explained 15% of the variance in antenatal bonding scores. Conclusion Consideration of women’s appraisal of their pregnancy acceptability may provide a valuable framework for identifying individuals who may be at risk for mental health and bonding difficulties.