Psychology Research Digest
Journal of Family Psychology - Vol 40, Iss 4
The Journal of Family Psychology is devoted to the study of the family system from multiple perspectives and to the application of psychological methods of inquiry to that end.
Children’s emotion understanding and attachment security to mothers and fathers across the transition to siblinghood.
The transition to siblinghood represents a period of adjustment for parents and firstborn children, influencing child–parent attachment relationships and children’s emotional development. This study examined the longitudinal bidirectional relations between firstborn children’s emotion understanding and their attachment security to their mothers and fathers during this transition. Firstborn children (N = 230, 55% girls/45% boys, 86% White, 5% Black, 3% Asian, 4% Latinx, and Mage = 29.75 months) completed the Emotion Understanding in Early Childhood scale, and both mothers and fathers completed the Attachment Q-Set at three time points: prenatal, 4, and 12 months after the birth of an infant sibling. Structural equation modeling revealed that firstborn children’s attachment security to mothers was associated with their emotion understanding before the sibling’s birth. However, we found no evidence of bidirectional relations between children’s emotion understanding and their attachment security to either fathers or mothers over time. These findings suggest that the older siblings’ emotion understanding in the year following the birth may be due to other family-level dynamics during the transition besides the security of mother–child and father–child attachment, including early interactions with their baby sibling. Future work would benefit from including early sibling interactions as well as the broader family context when accounting for growth in the older sibling’s emotion understanding after the birth of a new sibling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Attachment network, interparental conflict, and older siblings’ behavior predicting toddler behavior problems.
Secure infant–father and infant–mother attachments are associated with fewer internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in childhood. The attachment network underscores relationships with both fathers and mothers to form four distinct configurations of attachment security (e.g., both secure, both insecure). This exploratory study had three aims: (a) to confirm the four classifications of the attachment network with fathers and mothers, (b) to examine whether longitudinal trajectories of toddler behavior problems differed as a function of the attachment network from 18 to 36 months, and (c) to test whether the attachment network would predict toddler behavior problems when other family risk factors (interparental conflict, older siblings’ behavior problems) were added as predictors. Participants were 184 second-born, 12-month olds (55.9% girls) who participated in the strange situation procedure with fathers and mothers and were classified into four attachment configurations: both secure, both insecure, secure-mother/insecure-father, insecure-mother/secure-father. Longitudinal linear mixed models were conducted on a subsample of 150 families with both parent reports on externalizing and internalizing behavior problems when toddlers were 18-, 24-, and 36-month old, and interparental conflict and the older siblings’ behavior problems when toddlers were 12-month old. Results revealed no effects of attachment in predicting toddlers’ behavior problems; only the older siblings’ behavior problems predicted toddler behavior problems from 18 to 36 months. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>A comprehensive analysis of the effects of psychological control among siblings: A multilevel family-based study.
Research consistently highlights that psychological control may damage the healthy development of adolescents. The present study attempts to enhance this knowledge within a synthesis of family systems theory and behavioral genetics perspective through a sibling design and multilevel analysis. Accordingly, we modeled the predictive role of psychological control on siblings’ problem behaviors. In the model, we also simultaneously explored the associations between adolescent characteristics (e.g., gender and birth order), family characteristics (e.g., parents’ psychological well-being, household chaos, and family income), and family-wide and child-specific (differential) aspects of psychological control with siblings’ problem behaviors. The sample consisted of 303 families in Turkey, and we recruited a total of 1,121 participants, subsuming mothers (Mage = 41.26 years, SD = 4.19), fathers (Mage = 45.01, SD = 4.59), older siblings (Mage = 16.19, SD = 1.60), and younger siblings (Mage = 12.54, SD = 1.71). Multilevel modeling analysis yielded that adolescents’ externalizing problems were significantly predicted by differential psychological control, family-wide psychological control, and household chaos in the mother model; differential psychological control and household chaos in the father model. Moreover, we discovered that what significantly predicted adolescents’ internalizing problems was common in the mother and father models: the adolescent’s gender and family income. Overall, our findings underscore the overreaching significance of investigating the developmental consequences of psychological control (a) with other family system characteristics, (b) for both parents, and (c) by separating family-wide and child-specific parenting. We believe that our findings would contribute to a family-based understanding of the outcomes of psychological control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 09 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Caregivers’ efficacy to address suicidality in their child/ren.
Suicide is a leading cause of death among children in the United States, and suicide rates among youth have continually risen over the past decade. As caregivers play critical roles in suicide prevention, the present study examined factors contributing to self-efficacy in addressing child suicidality. Caregivers (N = 170) answered a 17-question instrument about (a) self-efficacy to assist a child with suicidal ideation and (b) readiness beliefs about suicide and children. Further, participants completed a demographic questionnaire that included their experience with mental health support, mental health, and suicide training and their child/ren’s experiences related to suicide. Participants’ beliefs about childhood experiences of suicidality were predictive of their self-efficacy to intervene in experiences related to suicide with their own child/ren. Among participants with mental health or suicide-specific training, beliefs were more predictive of their self-efficacy to aid their child expressing suicidal ideation or behaviors than those who had no mental health or suicide training. Those with suicide training predicted a greater variance in the dependent score, self-efficacy. The results suggest that caregivers’ training directly impacts their self-efficacy to best support their children. Opportunities for psychoeducational training about suicide should be increased and made readily available to caregivers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Impact of children’s self-harm on caregivers’ mental health and family functioning.
This study examined cross-sectional and prospective differences in mental health and family functioning among caregivers aware of their child’s self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs), caregivers unaware of their child’s SITBs, and caregivers of children without SITBs. Data were drawn from an epidemiological U.S. sample of children (ages 9–10) and their caregivers who participated in three yearly assessments as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (N = 11,303, 47.6% female). Caregivers reported on their own mental health problems and SITBs, their child’s SITBs, and family conflict. Children reported on their own SITBs, family conflict, parental monitoring, and parental acceptance. Compared to caregivers of children without SITBs (81%), both aware (9.9%) and unaware (9.1%) caregivers reported more externalizing problems at baseline. Their children reported more family conflict and lower parental monitoring and acceptance across assessments. Relative to unaware caregivers and caregivers of children without SITBs, aware caregivers reported elevated internalizing problems at baseline and greater odds of engaging in SITBs at baseline and follow-up. Compared to children of unaware caregivers, children of aware caregivers reported lower family conflict and higher parental monitoring and acceptance at baseline. In contrast, aware caregivers reported higher family conflict at baseline and 1 year later compared to unaware caregivers. Overall, caregivers of children with SITBs, whether aware or unaware, experienced more mental health problems and long-term effects on family functioning. Aware caregivers also reported higher SITB risk. Family-based interventions with a focus on caregivers’ mental health may help reduce children’s SITBs and family suffering. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Parental depressive symptoms and parent–infant interactive synchrony: An actor–partner interdependence mediation model.
We investigated the influence of parental depressive symptoms on interactive synchrony, an indicator of parent–infant interaction quality. Although research has shown the negative impact of maternal depressive symptoms—both prenatal and postnatal—on interactive synchrony, little is known about the impact of paternal depressive symptoms, particularly prenatal ones. From a family systems perspective, parental mental health is interdependent, with one parent’s symptoms often associated with their partner’s. However, it has not been investigated whether prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms in one parent are associated with their partner’s interactive synchrony with the infant. We hypothesized that higher prenatal depressive symptoms reported by both parents would be associated with reduced interactive synchrony in their own (actor effects) and in their partner’s (partner effects; no directional hypothesis was specified based on previous findings) interactions with the infant. We also hypothesized postnatal depressive symptoms as mediators of target associations. Using an actor–partner interdependence mediation model, we analyzed data from 86 families. Both parents reported their symptoms at 36–38 weeks of pregnancy and 3–4 months after birth. Interactive synchrony was observed during a lab visit at the postnatal assessment. For mothers only, we found significant actor effects between higher prenatal symptoms and reduced interactive synchrony. No partner effects emerged nor did postnatal symptoms play a mediator role. A total effect from paternal prenatal symptoms to mother–infant interactive synchrony emerged. These findings highlight the importance of both parents in research on interactive synchrony to improve the understanding of reciprocal influences within the family. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Parent–child communication and third generation’s difficulties: Roles of parental depression and self-efficacy.
This study examines whether parents’ past communication with their own parents is associated with children’s psychological difficulties and whether this association is mediated by parents’ depression and self-efficacy. Evidence of the intergenerational transmission of parent–child relationships is well-documented in the literature, but few studies have explored the intergenerational paths between grandparents’ and parents’ (first and second generations, G1–G2, respectively) communication, parents’ depression and sense of efficacy, and children’s (third generation, G3) psychological difficulties. Drawing on participants from Fast Track, a multisite longitudinal study, the present analyses included data from 360 original children, now parents (54% fathers, mean age = 34), who completed measures about their own depression and self-efficacy as well as their children’s psychological and behavioral difficulties; during childhood (mean age = 10) these same parents had reported on communication with their G1 parents. Running mediation path analyses, we discovered that G1G2 communication was significantly related to G2’s depression and emotional and parental self-efficacy. No direct associations between G1G2 communication and G3’s psychological difficulties were found, nor did G2’s emotional and parental self-efficacy mediate this path across generations. Nevertheless, G2’s emotional and parental self-efficacy were significantly associated with G3’s psychological difficulties, showing evidence of two generations and not three generations effects. By focusing on three generations, the present study extends knowledge about the critical role of G1 and G2 relationship quality and parenting on the next generation’s psychological development and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>The longitudinal relationship between parental autonomy support, internet gaming disorder, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents.
Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and depressive symptoms (DS) are common and often co-occur in adolescents, with insufficient parental autonomy support (PAS) potentially contributing to their development. However, the longitudinal relationship between PAS, IGD, and DS, as well as potential gender differences, remains unclear. Additionally, it is uncertain whether the observed comorbidity between IGD and DS is driven by reciprocal relationships or by common underlying causes. To address this gap, a 1-year longitudinal study with three waves assessed 1,274 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.55 years, 57.85% males). Cross-lagged panel and random-intercept cross-lagged panel analyses were employed to disentangle between-person stability from within-person dynamic processes. The results of random-intercept cross-lagged panels showed that at the between-person level, significant correlations were observed between PAS, IGD, and DS in both male and female adolescents. At the within-person level, temporal fluctuations in PAS predicted subsequent changes in both DS and IGD in males, without reciprocal effects. In females, only the change of PAS predicted the development of DS. These findings suggest that the comorbidity of IGD and DS may arise from shared causes and enhancing PAS may effectively reduce DS in both genders while mitigating IGD vulnerability in males. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Mediators of the bidirectional association between depression and relationship satisfaction among older adults.
Although there is robust evidence of bidirectional associations between depressive symptoms and intimate relationship challenges, modifiable mechanisms underlying these associations over time remain unclear. The present study tested three specific modifiable behaviors—constructive communication, received partner support, and time spent in couple activities—potentially linking depression and relationship satisfaction over the course of 4 months among older adults. A national sample of older adults (aged 60+; Mage = 66.01 years) in committed relationships (N = 398) reported their depressive symptoms, relationship satisfaction, and the mechanisms of interest at baseline, 2-month follow-up, and 4-month follow-up in online surveys. Results from path models indicated that constructive communication was the most consistent factor explaining these associations: Worse communication at 2 months explained the association between (a) lower relationship satisfaction at baseline and higher depression at 4 months and (b) higher depression at baseline and lower relationship satisfaction at 4 months. Evidence for the role of received partner support was more limited, and sometimes in directions counter to hypotheses. Less time spent in enjoyable couple activities also emerged as a significant mechanism linking higher depression to lower satisfaction in some models. Together, these findings offer novel insights into some relationship processes that contribute to the cycle of relationship and mental health challenges among older adults and may inform interventions to enhance their relational and individual health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Associations of parental postpartum depression with child mental health: A mediation analysis.
Maternal and paternal postpartum depression are important indicators of children’s mental health. However, few studies have tested the putatively distinct mechanisms via which they are associated with child/adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. We sought to differentiate the mediating role of maternal versus paternal family processes in these associations. We analyzed data (n = 1,694) from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a representative 1997–1998 birth cohort. Mothers and fathers self-reported their depressive symptoms at 5 months postpartum using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Child/adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms were reported by parents, teachers, and children using the Social Behavior Questionnaire (ages 3.5–13 years) and self-reported by adolescents using the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents (ages 15–17 years). Parent-reported parenting practices and family functioning at 1.5 and 2.5 years and marital satisfaction at 2.5 years were tested as mediators. Using structural equation modeling, we found that postpartum depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers were differentially associated with child/adolescent mental health. Maternal symptoms were associated with increased child/adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms via increased maternal coercive parenting practices (21.7%), lower paternal marital satisfaction (4.1%), and reduced family functioning (21.2%). Paternal symptoms were associated with increased child/adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms via increased paternal coercive parenting practices (8.4%), decreased paternal marital satisfaction (23.4%), and reduced family functioning (54.2%). The distinct maternal and paternal mechanisms illustrate how parental depression is differentially associated with child mental health and highlight a need to understand their relative significance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Psychological distress and partnership quality in parents: A 20-year longitudinal study.
This preregistered study examined bidirectional associations between parental psychological distress (PD) and relationship quality (RQ) from pregnancy to children’s adolescence, assessing both within-individual and cross-partner effects, and testing the strength and gender differences in these associations. Previous studies have analyzed the links between parental PD and RQ, but research covering the whole range of active parenting years in both parents is limited. Moreover, prior research has primarily focused on relationship intimacy, often overlooking autonomy and the balance between the two. This longitudinal study involved 375 intact Finnish couples who answered questionnaires on PD and RQ during pregnancy, postpartum, and the child’s middle childhood and late adolescence. The associations between PD and RQ were assessed with random intercept cross-lagged panel models based on both sum and balance scores of intimacy and autonomy, and individual scales. At the state level, PD was associated with higher overall RQ (i.e., a combination of intimacy and autonomy) and higher autonomy at unique parenting stages. However, PD predicted lower intimacy and less relationship enmeshment (i.e., a combination of more autonomy than intimacy) during early parenting years. PD predicted RQ more than the reverse and fathers’ RQ was more strongly predicted by mothers’ distress than the corresponding prediction from fathers to mothers. At the trait level, PD and RQ showed consistently negative associations. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding how PD shapes RQ over time, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between autonomy and intimacy in family relationships throughout the parenting years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Correction to “Siblings as buffers: Social problems and internalizing and externalizing behaviors across early adolescence” by Fry et al. (2021).
Reports an error in "Siblings as buffers: Social problems and internalizing and externalizing behaviors across early adolescence" by Cassidy M. Fry, Eva H. Telzer and Christy R. Rogers (Journal of Family Psychology, 2021[Oct], Vol 35[7], 939-949; see record 2021-54188-001). In the original article, the contents of the Appendix were published without permission and have been removed by request of the copyright holder. The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2021-54188-001). Youth who struggle to maintain positive peer relationships are more likely to display emotional and behavioral problems, particularly during adolescence. Alternative avenues of social support may buffer against these maladaptive outcomes, particularly sibling relations, as they oftentimes predict adolescent outcomes above and beyond that of parents and peers. The present study examined the role of objective sibling warmth on the longitudinal association between social problems and maladjustment in a sample of 45 adolescent sibling dyads, further testing how effects varied between younger (Mage = 12.1; 24 females) and older (Mage = 14.5; 21 females) siblings. Sibling interactions were observed during cooperative and stressful problem-solving tasks, and later coded for expressions of warmth directed from one sibling to the other. Adolescent social problems and internalizing and externalizing behaviors were collected by multi-informant report and at a 1-year follow-up. Multilevel analyses indicated that adolescents with older siblings who exhibited more warmth were buffered against the effect of social problems on externalizing behaviors, with marginal effects for internalizing symptoms. Younger sibling warmth did not serve as a buffer for older sibling maladjustment. These findings emphasize the importance of considering how multiple dimensions of social support operate to influence functioning, particularly early in adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Testing the generalizability of couple communication typologies: A multisite replication and extension study.
Research on couple typologies has advanced our understanding of the communication patterns that distinguish happy from distressed partners. However, this work has suffered from a lack of conceptual and methodological cohesion and replication in large, heterogeneous samples, resulting in idiosyncratic typologies with limited generalizability beyond their initial development. The present study replicates and extends prior research by testing the external validity of previous communication typologies in a multisite sample of couples. We combined data from 13 studies that used the Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System to observe communication during mixed-gender couples’ 10-min conflict interactions (N = 1,957). We used latent profile analysis to examine men’s and women’s (a) positive, negative, and neutral behavior and (b) positive and negative reciprocity. Groups were compared on relationship satisfaction and intimate partner violence to further characterize differences among couple subtypes. A five-class solution revealed couples whose communication can be described as (a) task-oriented (low positivity/negativity, high neutral problem discussion; 53%), (b) warm (high positivity/low negativity; 24%), (c) hostile (low positivity/high negativity; 9%), (d) expressive (high positivity/negativity; 7%), and (e) warm-but-reactive (high positivity/low negativity, high negative reciprocity; 6%). Men and women reported the highest levels of satisfaction in the warm, task-oriented, and warm-but-reactive groups. Intimate partner violence was highest in the hostile and expressive groups. These outcomes are largely concordant with the previous findings and should increase the field’s confidence in the generalizability of earlier typologies. Our findings also raise new questions about the heterogeneous nature of communication among happy couples. We discuss these questions and their clinical implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>(Dis)similarity between partners’ childhood maltreatment on relationship and sexual satisfaction: Dyadic response surface analyses.
Several studies have shown that childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with lower relationship and sexual satisfaction in individuals and their partners in adulthood. However, the handful of studies that considered both partners’ CM histories did not account for the magnitude or direction of similarity and dissimilarity between their experiences. The present study aimed at filling these gaps by examining how both partners’ (dis)similar CM levels were associated with relationship and sexual satisfaction using dyadic response surface analysis. A sample of 581 mixed gender couples completed online self-report questionnaires on CM, relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction. Results indicated that, compared with shared midlevels of CM, both men and women reported greater relationship and sexual satisfaction when they shared either higher or, especially, lower CM levels. In addition, greater dissimilarity in CM histories was associated with higher relationship and sexual satisfaction in men, regardless of which partner reported greater CM, whereas this association was not significant for women’s satisfaction. These findings provide new insights and highlight the complex interplay between partners’ CM histories and their associations with couple outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Trait responses after interpersonal offending: A dyadic examination of effects on romantic relationship quality.
As with all types of relationships, romantic relationships will involve at least occasional instances of interpersonal harm. When one partner commits a transgression against the other, how they respond next may influence whether the situation resolves or escalates. Research has identified three main response patterns to interpersonal transgressions—self-forgiveness, self-exoneration, and self-condemnation—each with potential relationship consequences that may either support or hinder the relationship. We examined these three response tendencies with romantic partners to understand their dyadic effect on relationship quality. In our sample of 216 adults in 108 heterosexual romantic relationships of at least 1 year, we found actor and partner effects for both trait self-forgiveness and trait self-exoneration. One partner’s level of trait self-forgiveness positively predicted both their own and their partner’s relationship quality, and the level of trait self-exoneration negatively predicted both their own and their partner’s relationship quality. Self-condemnation was not a significant predictor in our model. We did not find any sex differences in our models. We discuss the implications of these findings for couples counseling and other contexts. We also discuss the potentially complicated nature of self-condemnation in relationship functioning, addressing ways it could both help and hinder some aspects of the relationship. Overall, this study highlights the potential benefits of promoting self-forgiveness and reducing self-exoneration tendencies on relationship quality for both partners in romantic relationships where one partner has transgressed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Introducing the social relations model for undirected data.
The study of dyadic data has become essential to understanding family relationships. While directed dyadic data capture a person's relationship to a partner, resulting in two scores per dyad, undirected dyadic data measure something that is common to two people using a single score, for example, the distance two people stand from each other while conversing. This article introduces a modification of the family social relations model specifically developed for undirected data, a new framework to analyze undirected data for distinguishable dyad members. The model allows researchers to determine the contribution of individual-, dyadic-, and family-level components on undirected measures. We illustrate the model using data on shared family meals among dyad members in 99 two-parent two-child families. The analysis reveals that factors at all three levels of analysis determine how often two family members share a meal, but characteristics of the family as a group are most important. We also introduce an innovative approach to estimating the family factor, one that allows different dyadic scores to be affected differently by the family climate. Finally, we introduce an online app that implements the analysis of the family social relations model for undirected data, minimizing the need for confirmatory factor analysis skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>