Parenting Stress, Mental Health, Dyadic Adjustment: A Structural Equation Model

Abstract

Objective: In the 1st year of the post-partum period, parenting stress, mental health, and dyadic adjustment are important for the wellbeing of both parents and the child. However, there are few studies that analyze the relationship among these three dimensions. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between parenting stress, mental health (depressive and anxiety symptoms), and dyadic adjustment among first-time parents.Method: We studied 268 parents (134 couples) of healthy babies. At 12 months post-partum, both parents filled out, in a counterbalanced order, the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the potential mediating effects of mental health on the relationship between parenting stress and dyadic adjustment.Results: Results showed the full mediation effect of mental health between parenting stress and dyadic adjustment. A multi-group analysis further found that the paths did not differ across mothers and fathers.Discussion: The results suggest that mental health is an important dimension that mediates the relationship between parenting stress and dyadic adjustment in the transition to parenthood.

Relationship between parenting stress and children's behavioral characteristics in Japan

“…Rolle et al . compared the scores of the PSI‐SF consisting of 36 items for 134 pairs of mothers and fathers with children aged 1 year (boys, 61%; girls, 39%), and reported that PD was higher in mothers . Van der Veen‐Mulders et al .…”

“…Rolle et al compared the scores of the PSI-SF consisting of 36 items for 134 pairs of mothers and fathers with children aged 1 year (boys, 61%; girls, 39%), and reported that PD was higher in mothers. 18 Van der Veen-Mulders et al compared the scores of PSI-SF consisting of 25 items for parents of 72 preschool children with ADHD (average age, 54.8 AE 11.0 months; boys, 81%; girls, 19%) and 80 preschool children with no ADHD (average age, 47.3 AE 12.7 months; boys, 53%; girls, 47%), and reported that the total PSI score was higher in mothers of children with ADHD than fathers, while there was no significant difference between the mothers and fathers of children with no ADHD. 3 Davis and Carter compared the scores of PSI-SF consisting of 36 items for 54 couples of mothers and fathers of children with ASD (average age, 26.9 AE 4.2 months; boys, 74%; girls, 26%) in the USA, and reported that DC and PD were higher in mothers.…”

Development of the Parent‐child Play Scale for Use in Children With Feeding Disorders

“…Furthermore, comparing mother-child interactions during feeding and play provides a unique insight in the pervasiveness of parent-child relational difficulties and therefore informs intervention. From this perspective, our findings may have valuable clinical implications, especially for intervention strategies focused on the quality of the parent-child relationship to support the affective communication within the dyad and to prevent relational disturbances in early childhood (Chatoor, 2009;Cohen, Lojkasek, Muir, Muir, & Parker, 2002;Rollè et al, 2017;Rosenblum, 2004;Sameroff, McDonough, & Rosenblum, 2004;Vismara et al, 2016).…”

Does Fathers' Prenatal Mental Health Bear a Relationship to Parenting Stress at 6 Months?

“…Research has shown that decreased marital quality is associated with a higher degree of parenting stress, and that parenting stress influences parenting behavior and promotes dysfunctional parenting (Lavee, Sharlin, & Katz, ). More recent research has suggested that mental health in terms of depression and anxiety mediates between parenting stress and the dyadic adjustment of the parents postpartum at 12 months (Rollè, et al., ). Higher scores on the spousal subdomain of the parenting stress domain are indicative of parents who lack emotional and active support of the partner in child management (Webster‐Stratton, ).…”

“…The PSI has been used to explore parental stress in many different parent–child contexts, such as in the case of twin birth (Prino et al., ), hyperactive and physically abused children (Mash & Johnson, ), and autism spectrum disorders (Davis & Carter, ), and to study the relationship between parenting stress, mental health, and dyadic adjustment among first‐time parents of 12‐month‐old children (Rollè, et al., ). However, to our knowledge, there has been little research on fathers’ stress using the PSI during pregnancy and in the child's first year of life.…”