Parental Psychological Distress, Parent - Child Relationship Qualities, and Child Adjustment: Direct, Mediating, and Reciprocal Pathways

Abstract

SYNOPSISObjective. The purpose of this study was to explicate the role of parenting qualities of acceptance, psychological autonomy, and firm control in the link between maternal and paternal psychological distress and youth adjustment problems. Design. A community sample of 277 families provided information about parental psychological distress, parenting qualities, and child adjustment via mother, father, and child questionnaire ratings. Results. Direct associations among the variables were consistent with predictions. Mediation processes were identified using structural equation modeling. Specifically, parental acceptance and psychological autonomy served as mediators of the association between parental psychological distress and child problems, whereas firm control did not mediate the direct associations. Conclusions. Drawing on a developmental psychopathology perspective, this study's results indicate that the link between mother and father psychological distress and child adjustment problems is accounted for, in part, by parental acceptance and psychological autonomy than by behavioral control. Alternative pathways among these family processes also received empirical support.

Risk factors for distress in the adolescent children of HIV-positive and HIV-negative drug-abusing fathers

“…The indirect effects of paternal distress are consistent with prior research that linked paternal distress with less adequate parenting skills, which adversely impact child adjustment (Conger et al, 2002;Papp et al, 2005). Fathers with greater distress may also have less effective coping strategies (Heckman et al, 2004), which undermine the teaching of coping skills to their child.…”

Parental Dysphoria and Children’s Adjustment: Marital Conflict Styles, Children’s Emotional Security, and Parenting as Mediators of Risk

“…Each of these parenting dimensions, in turn, may be detrimental to children's short and long-term adjustment. Parenting qualities associated with parental depression may mediate links between parental dysphoria and child maladjustment (Papp, Cummings, & Goeke-Morey, 2005).…”

Parent–Child Relationships and Influences

“…The moderators could include the sex of the child and the sex of the parent (Cummings, Schermerhorn, & Keller, 2008 ;Hastings & De, 2008 ;Kochanska et al, 2008 ;McElwain, Halberstadt, & Volling, 2007 ;Nelson, Hart, Wu, et al, 2006 ). There have also been continuing issues about the combined and separate contributions of mother -child and father -child relationships Lamb, 2004 ;Papp, Cummings, & Goeke -Morey, 2005 ;Ryan, Martin, & Brooks -Gunn, 2006 ). Culture is also a possible moderator of parental infl uences Nelson, Hart, Wu, et al, 2006 ).…”

“…For example, parent -child relationships have been investigated as mediators between maternal depression (Cummings et al, 2008 ;Lim, Wood, & Miller, 2008 ), child social risk factors (Burchinal, Roberts, Zeisel, Hennon, & Hooper, 2006 ), family SES (Conger & Donnellan, 2007 ), family stress (Crnic & Low, 2002 ), neighborhood characteristics (Kohen, Leventhal, Dahinten, & McIntosh, 2008 ), and parental psychological distress (Papp et al, 2005 ) and child outcomes. Parent -child relationships can also be examined as a moderator variable.…”