Postpartum depression and parenting both play a role in shaping children’s future behavior. However, there is limited understanding of the interaction and the evolving relationship between depressive symptoms and parenting practices. This study aimed to investigate the bidirectional associations between maternal depressive symptomatology and parenting (maternal self-efficacy, maternal warmth, and maternal hostile-reactive behaviors) in the postpartum period and to assess the moderating effect of breastfeeding and partner support on these associations. Latent growth curve and multigroup analyses were estimated in a sample of 1551 mothers of the 3D pregnancy cohort. Maternal depressive symptomatology and parenting practices were concurrently associated. Bidirectional associations were found between maternal depressive symptomatology and maternal self-efficacy, but not for warmth or hostile-reactive behaviors. Mothers with high perceived partner support showed a significant association between increased maternal warmth and lower depressive symptoms at 24 months. In contrast, mothers with lower perceived partner support demonstrated stronger associations between early hostile-reactive parenting and later depressive symptoms, as well as a greater impact of declining self-efficacy on maternal depressive symptoms. Breastfeeding showed limited moderating effects, with no significant buffering impact on the associations between depressive symptoms and parenting practices. These findings highlight the protective role of partner support in mitigating the adverse effects of depressive symptoms on parenting and vice versa, emphasizing the need for interventions that strengthen maternal self-efficacy and partner involvement to promote maternal mental health.
BACKGROUND Previous studies have primarily examined the impact of parental psychological control on adolescent depressive symptoms from either family interaction or emotional perspectives, often considering these factors separately and overlooking their potential interplay. AIMS This study examined how parent-child conflict frequency and negative emotions mediate parental psychological control's effects on adolescent depressive symptoms, alongside parental gender differences. METHODS A two-wave longitudinal design was employed. Data were collected from 1774 junior high school students at two timepoints with a one-year interval. RESULTS (1) Perceived maternal psychological control directly predicted adolescent depressive symptoms. (2) Father-child conflict frequency significantly mediated paternal control's effect on depressive symptoms, while maternal control's mediation was marginal; mother-child conflict frequency showed no mediation. Negative emotions significantly mediated maternal control's effect. (3) Maternal control influenced depressive symptoms sequentially through mother-child conflict and negative emotions, whereas paternal control exhibited no such pathway. CONCLUSIONS These findings underscore parent-child conflict reduction and negative emotion regulation as critical interventions for alleviating adolescent depressive symptoms, highlighting the unique role of maternal psychological control. The results advance targeted strategies for adolescent mental health promotion.
Although the family stress model has received extensive empirical attention, little is known about how these processes might occur at the daily level and when considering both mother-child and father-child dyads. Data included 136 mothers' and 59 fathers' daily reports of their perceptions of daily financial stress, negative marital interactions, and oppositional parent-child conflict during early middle childhood. Reports were collected through online surveys for 7 consecutive days. Multilevel structural equation modeling indicated that at the within-person level, mother-reported financial stress was positively related to mother-child oppositional conflict qualities through mother-reported negative marital interactions. Father-reported financial stress was related to their same-day negative marital interactions. At the between-person level, mother-reported negative marital interactions were positively related to mother-child oppositional conflict characteristics. These findings contribute innovative information regarding the spillover effect from parental stressful experiences to their interactions with other family members in daily context and reveal unique processes in different family dyads' daily lives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
This study aimed to explore the associations between different parent–child interaction patterns, school adjustment types, and multidimensional mental health indicators such as adolescent wellbeing indices and depressive symptoms and thereby provide insights for improving adolescent mental health. Using questionnaire data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) conducted from spring 2014 to spring 2015, this study focused on school-attending adolescents aged 12–18 years. Data from the Parent–Child Interaction Questionnaire, the School Adjustment Questionnaire, and the Mental Health Questionnaire were used. Cluster analysis using the K-means algorithm, combined with non-parametric tests and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) with multiple comparisons, identified distinct parent–child interaction patterns and school adjustment types and examined their associations with adolescent wellbeing indices and depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms showed negative correlations with positive school adaptation, parent–child interaction frequency, and parent–child interaction content ( r = −0.247, −0.123, −0.16, p < 0.001), while wellbeing exhibited positive correlations ( r = 0.304, 0.135, 0.123, p < 0.001). Parental interaction patterns were categorized into high-frequency (35%), medium-frequency (38%), and low-frequency (27%) groups. School adaptation types were classified as high-involvement adaptation (50%), balanced adaptation (35.3%), and alienated adaptation (15%). Different parent–child interaction patterns significantly influenced adolescents’ mental health (depression: F = 743.821, p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.083; wellbeing: F = 795.63, p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.079). Different school adaptation types also significantly influenced adolescents’ mental health (depression: F = 135.777, p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.022; wellbeing: F = 190.848, p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.016). Multiple comparison analyses revealed significant differences between different parent–child interaction patterns and school adaptation factors in their prediction of adolescent mental health outcomes. The predictive effect on the wellbeing index was ΔR 2 = 0.087 ( F = 761.6, p < 0.001), while the predictive effect on depressive symptoms was ΔR 2 = 0.064 ( F = 529.3, p < 0.001). The combination of high-frequency parent–child interaction and high-investment school adaptation is most conducive to enhancing adolescents’ wellbeing and alleviating depressive symptoms. This finding provides theoretical guidance and empirical evidence for interventions addressing adolescent mental health issues.
Aims: This study examined the relationship between maternal containment function and depressive symptoms in children aged 3-6 years, with particular attention to the independent protective role of paternal involvement.Methods: The sample consisted of 386 mother–father dyads whose children were clinically referred to an outpatient child psychiatry clinic in İstanbul due to early emotional and behavioral distress. Child depressive symptoms were measured using the Child Depression Symptom Scale (CDSS), maternal containment was assessed using the Parental Containment Function Scale (PCFS), and paternal involvement was assessed using the Father Involvement Scale (FIS). Data were analyzed using non parametric tests, Spearman correlations (ρ), and bootstrapped mediation analyses. Results: Higher levels of maladaptive maternal containment (e.g., separation sensitivity, authoritarian–rigid parenting) demonstrated a significant positive association with increased depressive symptoms in children. In contrast, greater paternal involvement, particularly discretionary engagement and affection–closeness, was negatively associated with child depressive symptoms. Mediation analyses indicated that although paternal involvement contributed to lower depressive symptoms as an independent protective system, it did not significantly mediate the relationship between maternal containment and child depression. Conclusion: Maternal containment and paternal involvement operate as distinct, parallel family systems that contribute to early childhood emotional development. Interventions should address both the maternal containment function and the independent protective resource of father involvement.
