Psychology Research Digest
Journal of Family Psychology - Vol 40, Iss 5
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.
Reducing postdivorce conflict through a child-oriented digital intervention: A randomized controlled trial of SES NXT.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of SES NXT, a digital, age-adjusted intervention for children and adolescents of divorced parents, in reducing perceived postdivorce conflict. Drawing on family systems theory and the divorce stress adjustment perspective, we examined whether the intervention influenced conflict perceptions among youth and parents. Participants included 294 youths (ages 11–17) and their divorced parents (N = 467 family units) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial comparing the SES NXT intervention to a wait-list control group. The primary outcome was perceived postdivorce conflict, assessed via the Divorce Conflict Scale at baseline (T1), 4 weeks (T2), and 12 weeks (T3) postbaseline. Analyses used generalized estimating equations based on the intention-to-treat principle and adjusted for sociodemographic and mental health covariates. At 12-week follow-up, youth in the intervention group reported significantly lower levels of perceived parental conflict compared to controls, with medium-to-large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.67–0.76). Parents in the intervention group also reported significant reductions in postdivorce conflict, with medium-to-large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.62–0.81). No significant differences emerged between age versions of the intervention. Dose–response effects were observed for youth at 4 weeks, but not at 12 weeks. Findings suggest that digital, child-centered divorce interventions can reduce postdivorce conflict as perceived by both children and parents. These results support systemic models of change and highlight the potential of scalable, low-cost digital tools in addressing conflict dynamics in postdivorce families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Does sociodemographic disadvantage moderate the impact of motherwise? Findings from a randomized controlled trial.
Evidence supports the positive impact of MotherWise, an individual-oriented relationship education program delivered to perinatal women and birthing people from underresourced communities, on relationship skills, attitudes, and individual and relationship functioning. This study examined whether individuals’ sociodemographic disadvantage was associated with (a) preprogram levels and (b) differential program effects. Participants (Mage = 28 years) were randomly assigned to MotherWise (n = 512) or a control group (n = 437). Most participants identified as Hispanic (66%), had accessed government benefits recently (73%), and were partnered (85%). Sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, education, public assistance use, employment status, having children from previous relationships, and history of incarceration) were examined individually and as a cumulative index. Relationship skills (i.e., romantic relationship and conflict management skills), attitudes (i.e., disapproval of relationship violence), negative communication, and depressive symptoms were assessed at enrollment and 1 year and 2.5 years postenrollment. Multilevel models were conducted. MotherWise demonstrated positive long-term effects on relationship skills and attitudes, with no effects on negative communication or depression at these time points. Overall, there was no evidence of differential program effects across individual or cumulative sociodemographic risks. However, greater cumulative risk and some risks measured individually—especially incarceration history—were associated with lower baseline scores for skills and attitudes and higher baseline scores for negative communication and depression, suggesting greater needs among these individuals. Although MotherWise led to better outcomes for participants with varying risk factors, additional modifications or adaptations may be necessary to achieve equitable outcomes, ensuring all participants reach similar postprogram levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Characterizing digital parenting: A dyadic study of generation alpha children in Korea.
Despite its growing relevance, digital parenting (DP)—defined broadly as parental perceptions of digital technologies, approaches to mediation, and patterns of parent–child interaction related to children’s digital use—and the discrepancies between parent and child perceptions of it remain largely underexplored. This study examined patterns of DP discrepancies between the Generation Alpha children and their mothers and how these different DP discrepancy patterns would be associated with children’s problem behaviors. Using data from 362 Korean children (ages 9–10) and their mothers (M = 41.78), results from dyadic latent profile analysis revealed four distinct profiles: two incongruent profiles with significant mother–child discrepancies (child-perceived controlling DP [24.31%] and mother-perceived engaging DP [13.26%]) and two congruent profiles with little mother–child discrepancies (congruently uninvolved DP [31.22%] and congruently inconsistent DP [31.22%]). Children in the congruently inconsistent DP profiles showed elevated attention problems than those in the congruently uninvolved DP profile. In addition, children in the child-perceived controlling DP and congruently uninvolved DP profiles showed increased rule-breaking behaviors. Interestingly, children in the mother-perceived engaging DP profile had the highest digital use but lower problem behaviors, potentially reflecting an adaptive DP approach that balances guidance with independence. Findings highlight the negative effects of perception discrepancies and inconsistent DP while emphasizing the significance of active mother–child digital communication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Views of preschool-age children’s screen time among mothers with low incomes.
We analyze views of young children’s screen time among mothers with low incomes in the United States. Public health messages direct parents to limit screen time for young children and to watch with them. Research is limited with racially diverse and low-income parents to understand their views of screen time, especially for preschoolers. We drew on interviews with 63 mothers who had preschool-age children and lower incomes, most of whom identified as women of color. We analyzed what children’s screen time meant to mothers and how they used it in parenting. Mothers reported that children often had autonomy over screen time within parameters parents set by restricting devices, apps, and content. Children often used screen media alone or with siblings. Mothers saw screen media as supporting children’s learning, emotion regulation, and daily routines and as a way to occupy children to allow parents time for chores and work. Mothers reported using children’s screen time in ways that helped build the family lives they wanted, given the structural constraints they experienced and the resources they had. Recommendations that parents substantially limit children’s screen time should be considered in light of the functions it serves or how these limits would place higher demands on parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Longitudinal associations between maternal depression, problematic media use, and parenting efficacy as a time-varying mediator.
Prior research suggests a link between maternal depression and mothers’ problematic media use (PMU), defined as compulsive or dysregulated media use that interferes with daily functioning. This study examined whether parenting self-efficacy mediates this association using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Participants were 532 mothers (Mage = 30.34 years) and their infants (Mage = 5.83 months at Wave 1) followed across five annual waves. We analyzed data from Waves 1 to 5 of Project MEDIA, capturing both between- and within-person effects over time. Results showed that higher maternal depression correlated with lower parenting efficacy and higher PMU. Depression remained relatively stable across 5 years, whereas PMU and parenting efficacy fluctuated. Within-person analyses revealed that increases in maternal depression predicted decreases in parenting self-efficacy, but neither depression nor efficacy significantly predicted PMU. These findings suggest that while maternal depression undermines parenting self-efficacy, additional factors may explain its connection to PMU. Further research is needed to clarify these pathways and inform intervention strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Caregiver distress explains links between objective and subjective socioeconomic status and adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors.
The United States is amid an unprecedented adolescent mental health crisis, and adolescents who experience socioeconomic disadvantage are at elevated risk for behavioral problems. Low socioeconomic status (SES) is related to parent distress and is one potential pathway through which disadvantage relates to adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. Empirical support for this pathway is typically based on a single measure of objective SES considered in isolation. However, parents’ subjective social status (SSS) also predicts their distress and may, in turn, shape adolescents’ problem behaviors. We examine how multiple objective (annual income, monthly income volatility, and educational attainment) and subjective (SSS) markers of SES independently relate to adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems through parent distress using data from 104 parent–adolescent dyads. In mixed-effects models, we observed positive indirect effects of income volatility (within-dyad variation in monthly income) and parent SSS on adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing symptoms through parent distress. Gains in monthly income and greater SSS predicted decreased parent distress, which in turn related to fewer adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Indirect effects were independent of annual income, educational attainment, and covariates (marital status, adolescent race, sex, SSS). These findings highlight that temporally (income volatility) and psychologically proximal (parent SSS) aspects of SES may serve as points for intervention to reduce parent distress and support adolescent mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Quasi-experimental impacts of unconditional prenatal and infant cash transfers on postpartum parenting stress.
Rx Kids, launched in Flint, Michigan, in January 2024, is the United States’ first community-wide unconditional cash transfer program for expectant mothers and infants. The program offers all expectant mothers in the City of Flint a lump sum $1,500 during mid-pregnancy and $500 monthly for 12 months postnatally. The present study examined whether the Rx Kids program was associated with differences in parenting stress during the postpartum months. Using structural equation modeling in a sample of N = 954 mothers (Mage: 28.9 years; race/ethnicity: 37% Black, 52% White, 11% other), Flint mothers who were eligible to participate in Rx Kids (newborns born in 2024) reported lower parenting stress (0.36 of a SD lower) than noneligible Flint mothers (newborns born in 2023). This birth-timing difference (2024 vs. 2023) was not observed among non-Flint mothers from the surrounding area, providing quasi-experimental evidence that Rx Kids may reduce postpartum parenting stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Linking perceived community violence and parenting stress from early childhood to adolescence: A parallel-process growth model.
Community violence is one of the biggest social safety issues in the United States. In the past year, over 1.4 million people were assaulted by various types of community violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Understanding how perceived community violence affects maternal parenting stress, independent of other community characteristics, is critical for developing targeted interventions that support families in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,898 families across 20 U.S. cities), we estimated linear growth models with repeated measures at child ages 3, 5, 9, and 15. The sample overrepresented low-income families and minority populations. The results showed a correlation between higher initial levels of parenting stress and increased initial levels of perceived community violence, with both parenting stress and perceived community violence demonstrating concurrent decreasing trends over time. However, the rate of change in parenting stress was not significantly associated with the rate of change in perceived community violence. Results revealed that maternal parenting stress and perceived community violence are interconnected over time, with mothers experiencing higher stress also reporting higher community violence at baseline, and both declining concurrently as children aged. Such findings emphasized the importance of implementing interventions aimed at alleviating the negative impacts of community violence on family well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Family relationships mediate the association between material hardship and adolescent mental health.
Families with material hardship face multiple challenges in family relationships and adolescent mental health outcomes. The present study aims to examine the underlying family processes linking material hardship, family relationships, and adolescent mental health. This study analyzed six waves of longitudinal data from 4,898 parents and their adolescent children in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The data were collected at childbirth, ages one, three, five, nine, and 15. Structural equation modeling was conducted to construct latent variables of material hardship, cooperative coparenting, and parent–child closeness and to examine their direct and indirect effects on adolescent depression and anxiety. The results showed that material hardship in childhood was positively associated with adolescent depression and anxiety through indirect effects. Childhood cooperative coparenting and parent–child closeness were significant factors mediating the effect of material hardship on adolescents’ mental health. Material hardship directly predicted reduced cooperative coparenting and indirectly predicted reduced parent–child closeness through this pathway. Cooperative coparenting was indirectly linked with lower adolescent depression and anxiety through increasing parent–child closeness. Finally, greater parent–child closeness predicted a lower likelihood of adolescent depression and anxiety. Findings suggest providing material, interparental, and parenting support for both mothers and fathers to protect adolescents against mental health challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Romantic attachment and couple commitment in first-time parents: The protective role of partner support.
Couple commitment remains a crucial yet understudied aspect of couple dynamics, with few studies examining its trajectories during the transition to parenthood (TTP). Although romantic attachment (anxiety and avoidance) is associated with couple commitment during transition to parenthood, little is known about protective factors, such as partner support, that may buffer against changes in commitment for both parents. The goal of this study was to examine trajectories of two couple commitment modes (optimal and undercommitment) in both parents and to explore whether partner support moderated the associations between attachment insecurities and commitment. In a longitudinal dyadic study of 211 couples of first-time parents, we assessed attachment insecurities during pregnancy, perceived partner support at 4 months postpartum, and couple optimal commitment and undercommitment during pregnancy, at 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Results from dyadic latent growth curve analyses revealed that partners higher in attachment anxiety showed a steadier decline in optimal commitment, whereas mothers higher in attachment anxiety demonstrated a slower increase in undercommitment over time. Partners paired with a more anxiously attached mother showed both a greater increase in undercommitment and a sharper decline in optimal commitment over time. Mothers paired with a more anxiously attached partner exhibited a slower but more persistent increase in their own undercommitment over time. Higher perceived partner support was associated with a slower decline in both parents’ own optimal commitment and a slower increase in their own undercommitment trajectories over time. Moderation effects were also found, and the implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>First-time fathers navigating caregiving and paid work: A Portuguese dyadic–longitudinal qualitative study.
This study aimed to explore how first-time (heterosexual) fathers’ involvement in caregiving and paid work roles was (co)constructed with their partners during the transition to parenthood—a period that entails unique adaptations and emotional experiences for fathers. Importantly, the emergence of the father role occurs within a relational context. However, few studies use a dyadic lens, and even fewer take a longitudinal approach to capture these unfolding dynamics during the transition to parenthood. An even smaller number combine these perspectives with a qualitative approach to understand how fathers construct and negotiate their new role within the coparenting relationship. We conducted semistructured individual interviews with Portuguese couples in two waves: during the third trimester of pregnancy and 18 months after birth. We analyzed data from 40 interviews (10 couples in total) using dyadic–longitudinal qualitative analysis. We grouped couples into one of three groups, which capture broad patterns and typical behaviors, values, and beliefs about work and parenting roles: “working fathers, caregiving mothers,” “in-between care and work,” and “equal care, equal work.” Fathers’ involvement in caregiving and paid work roles begins to take shape early in pregnancy through co-constructive processes, influenced by an interplay of individual and shared expectations, and available resources. Our findings highlight challenges faced during the transition to parenthood that may inform the development of psychological interventions that foster a supportive and adaptive family environment and promote fathers’ involvement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Perceived connectedness during the perinatal period: Implications for parent and child well-being.
The perinatal period has been identified as a transitional time for parents, which can bring the experience of positive emotions as well as new stressors. In addition, social changes that occur during the perinatal period may contribute to increases in perceived isolation or provide opportunities to forge new connections. The positive mental and physical health benefits of social connection—the extent to which people feel close and connected to others—are widely supported. Given the unique neurobiological and psychological changes that occur during pregnancy and postpartum, we propose that feelings of social connection are especially important for protecting mental health and well-being during the perinatal period, which could also affect the developing child. Here, we outline a theoretical model of perceived connectedness during the perinatal period and identify key questions for future research, with a particular focus on parents’ mental health and child developmental outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Social support experiences of trans women/transfeminine adults accessing gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Gender affirming health care (GAHC), particularly gender-affirming hormone therapy, can promote the well-being of transgender women/transfeminine persons. Social gender affirmation, in the form of social support (e.g., use of one’s authentic name and pronouns), may complement and strengthen trans people’s experiences with GAHC. Most research to-date has focused on social support during GAHC with children and adolescents rather than adults, who experience unique social support needs when navigating health care. Given this gap and an increasingly hostile sociopolitical context limiting transgender and gender diverse people’s access to both GAHC and social support, we explored the social support experiences of trans women/transfeminine persons taking gender-affirming hormone therapy. We utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods study design drawing on secondary cross-sectional survey data from 214 trans women/transfeminine persons in Canada aged 18+ taking gender-affirming hormone therapy for ≥3 months. Bivariable analyses explored factors associated with having social support while accessing GAHC. Qualitative data from open-ended survey responses were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis. Among participants (mean age: 32.3, standard deviation: 10.8), most (94.4%) reported having at least one person who supported them. Those receiving social assistance and those of Black race/ethnicity were statistically significantly less likely to report having social support. Narratives revealed positive and negative interpersonal interactions from partners, family (parents, siblings, chosen), and friends (particularly queer-/trans-identified), influenced by emotional capacity, anti-trans stigma, and pretransition relationship dynamics. Social support improved individuals’ mental health, increased participants’ community connectedness, and enhanced trans joy. These findings underscore the importance of providers fostering social support among trans women/transfeminine people accessing GAHC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Reading between the lines: How sexual minority youth interpret paternal support.
Sexual minority youth experience persistent stigma that contributes to well-documented mental health disparities. Parental support is a critical promotive factor in this context, yet empirical attention has disproportionately centered on the role of maternal support, leaving fathers’ roles underexplored. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a subsample of cisgender sexual minority youth aged 15–19 (n = 17) from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minoritized identities Youth in Family Study residing in the United States, this study employs reflective thematic analysis to explore how youth interpret their interactions with their heterosexual fathers in relation to their sexual minority identity. Analyses indicate that paternal support was frequently experienced as indirect or ambiguous, requiring youth to infer meaning from silence, avoidance, or instrumental forms of care rather than explicit affirmation. Participants described a wide variation in paternal responses and emphasized the emotional significance of clear, unambiguous messages of support. Attention to these interpretive processes highlights fathers’ consequential, though often obscured, role in sexual minority youth identity development and suggests the need for family-based interventions that address gendered norms shaping paternal expressions of support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Perceived changes in adolescent children anticipate increasing maternal stress and declining mother–child relationship quality.
The profound physical, emotional, and social changes that accompany adolescence typically coincide with increases in maternal stress and decreases in the quality of the mother–child relationship. Does one follow from the other? The present longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that perceived changes in adolescent children forecast increases in maternal stress, which contribute to deteriorating mother–child relationship quality, anticipating more perceived changes in children. Participants were 299 mothers (Mage = 40.19, SD = 5.01 years) in two-parent households, with children (152 boys and 147 girls; ages 9–13) attending public primary and middle schools in an eastern Lithuanian community. Nearly all participants were ethnic Lithuanian. Maternal reports of stress, perceived changes in children, and mother–child relationship quality (i.e., negativity and social support) were collected three times over the course of a year. Direct longitudinal associations emerged from maternal perceptions of changes in the child to heightened maternal stress, from maternal stress to deteriorating mother–child relationship quality, and from diminished relationship quality to escalating changes in children. Full-longitudinal mediation analyses confirmed each of the hypothesized indirect effects: (a) Time 1 perceived changes in the child → Time 2 maternal stress → Time 3 mother–child relationship quality, (b) Time 1 maternal stress → Time 2 mother–child relationship quality → Time 3 perceived changes in the child, and (c) Time 1 mother–child relationship quality → Time 2 perceived changes in the child → Time 3 maternal stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Social–cognitive domain differences in adolescent disclosure to mothers and fathers and links with adjustment.
Although differences in adolescent disclosure about their everyday activities to mothers and fathers are well-documented, less research has examined heterogeneity in disclosure, particularly to both parents jointly. Using latent profile analysis, this 1-year longitudinal study examined patterns of adolescent disclosure to both parents across personal, multifaceted, and prudential issues as defined within social–cognitive domain theory, as well as links to adjustment. The sample included 214 U.S. middle-class middle adolescents (Mage = 15.96, SD = 0.83, 103 males). Adolescents completed surveys measuring disclosure to and relationship quality with each parent and adjustment over 1 year (from 2014 to 2015). Three distinct profiles emerged. Adolescents in the traditional profile (N = 100) disclosed more to mothers than fathers, particularly about personal and multifaceted issues. Reserved profile adolescents (N = 72) had low levels of disclosure to both parents, with more disclosure about personal and multifaceted than prudential issues. Youth in the balanced profile (N = 42) had high levels of disclosure to both parents about all issues. They also had better relationships with parents at Wave 1, greater over time decreases in problem behavior compared to other profiles, and unique to this profile, increases in depressed mood over time. Normatively, adolescents in this sample disclosed more to mothers than to fathers about personal and multifaceted issues. Mixed effects on adjustment were found in adolescents disclosing at high levels to both parents, suggesting problems in autonomy development. More research should examine developmentally appropriate disclosure to both parents across domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>