Parental stress is defined as a personal response to stressors associated with being a parent. In recent studies, parental stress has been viewed as a component of normative parenting. The purpose of ...this study was to collect initial evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the Russian version of the 18-item Parental Stress Scale (PSS) using a sample of mothers of Russian primary school students. The results are the first wave of a longitudinal study. Mothers (
n
= 900) of fourth-grade students participated in the study and filled out an online survey. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the PSS on the Russian mothers indicated two factors: parental stress and parental satisfaction, with good estimates of reliability. The PERMA-Profiler questionnaire was used to examine the convergent and divergent validity of the PSS. The results revealed significant correlations between parental stress and satisfaction and different aspects of well-being among the respondents. The initial investigation of this Russian adaptation of the PSS provides evidence of its reliability and validity. Despite the limitations and the need for further research, this version of the PSS can be recommended for use in studies on modern parenting as well as in psychological support, education, and development of programs promoting positive parent–child relationships by targeting parental needs.
Research has shown that support for families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States has led to reduce parental stress. To better understand the situation in China, it ...is crucial to evaluate the current status of family support and provide clear evidence of the impact of family support on positive family outcomes.
This study aims to provide initial evidence to examine these interrelations among family support, parental stress, and family quality of life in mainland China.
A total of 226 parents of children with ASD completed two questionnaires (Beach Center Family Quality of Life (FQOL) Scale and the Family Support Scale for Chinese Children with ASD) and a demographic family information form. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the interrelation among parental stress, family support, and FQOL.
Parents perceived a moderate to low level of family support and FQOL and high level of parental stress. Family support had a direct positive effect on FQOL (β = .54) and an indirect effect on FQOL through parental stress (β = .06).
Resources should be devoted to establishing a family support system that promotes FQOL and buffers parental stress for families of children with ASD.
The aim of this study was to compare parental stress and resilience in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome (DS), and typical development (TD), and analyze the ...relationship between these two constructs. A total of 97 parents participated (ASD: n = 32, DS: n = 23, and TD: n = 42). The instruments used were the Parental Stress Index and the Resilience Scale. The ASD group obtained higher parental stress related to the child’s characteristics but not related to the parents’ characteristics. The three groups obtained moderate resilience, and high resilience was associated with low parental stress in the ASD and DS groups. The higher parental stress obtained in the ASD group, compared to the DS group, was not associated with aspects related to the parents or demographic and social factors of the families but rather with aspects related to the child and the characteristics of each disorder, as perceived by the parents.
With online education and programs becoming increasingly common, it is necessary to examine their effectiveness. In this study, we conduct a meta-analysis of online parenting programs. In this ...meta-analysis, we included 28 studies yielding 127 effect sizes examining 15 outcome variables. We found that online parenting programs had the strongest effects on increasing positive parenting and parents' encouragement. We also found significant effects of reducing negative parent-child interactions, child problem behaviors, negative discipline strategies, parenting conflicts, parent stress, child anxiety, parent anger, and parent depression. Results also revealed programs' significant effects on increasing parent confidence, positive child behavior and parenting satisfaction. Comparisons of programs that included clinical support (meaning programs through which participants had access to content experts, therapists, or content specialists in conjunction with the online program) versus programs that only contained online components, revealed no significant differences in 6 program outcomes between programs with and without clinical support. Comparisons of programs provided to targeted populations versus general populations revealed no significant differences in four program outcomes between populations. Results suggest that online parenting programs can provide benefits for parents who may not be able to access in-person resources.
Empirical evidence underscores an association between parental stress and emotional and behavioral problems in offspring. However, a comprehensive systematic review or meta-analysis on this topic is ...lacking. Thus, this study aims to address the scientific inquiry: Is there a relationship between parental stress and emotional/behavioral problems in children?
This systematic review with a meta-analysis surveyed PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde between August and September 2021. The present search combined terms (school-age children) AND (parental stress OR parenting stress OR family stress) AND (emotional and behavioral problems OR internalizing and externalizing problems). Eligibility criteria encompassed cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies published within the last five years, exploring the association between parental stress (stressful life events and parenthood-related stress disorders) and emotional/behavioral problems in school-age children. PROSPERO ID CRD42022274034.
Of the 24 studies meeting all inclusion criteria (n = 31,183) for the systematic review, nine were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed an association between parental stress and emotional problems (COR: 0.46 95 % CI: 0.27 - 0.61, p < 0.001, Heterogeneity = 89 %) as well as behavioral problems (COR: 0.37 95 % CI: 0.27 - 0.46, p < 0.001, Heterogeneity = 76 %).
These findings indicate that parental stress predicts emotional/behavioral problems in school-age children. Since these problems are related to long-term negative effects in adulthood, these results are crucial for preventing mental health problems in offspring and for screening and managing parental stress.
Person–environment interactions might ultimately drive longer term development. This experience sampling study (Data collection: 2019/20 the Netherlands) assessed short‐term linkages between ...parent–adolescent interaction quality and affect during 2281 interactions of 124 adolescents (Mage = 15.80, SDage = 1.69, 59% girls, 92% Dutch, Education: 25% low, 31% middle, 35% high, 9% other). Adolescents reported on parent–adolescent interaction quality (i.e., warmth and conflict) and momentary positive and negative affect five to six times a day, for 14 days. Preregistered dynamic structural equation models (DSEM) revealed within‐family associations between parent–adolescent interaction quality and adolescent affect (concurrently: r = −.22 to .39; lagged effects: ß = −.17 to .15). These effects varied significantly between families. These findings stress the need for more person‐specific research on parenting processes.
Parenting stress is relevant to the development, maintenance, and amelioration of youth mental, emotional, and behavioral health issues. This Evidence Base Update evaluates the empirical literature ...on the measurement of parenting stress to guide future research and inform clinical decision-making. After a comprehensive literature search, we identified eight well-studied measures of parenting stress, to which we applied the criteria put forth by Hunsley and Mash (2008) and extended by Youngstrom et al. (2017) to evaluate the evidence base for norms, validity, and utility. All measures were rated adequate, good, excellent, or no evidence on 11 psychometric categories (e.g., internal consistency, treatment sensitivity). Overall, the ability of identified measures to accurately and reliably assess parenting stress was strong. Although the psychometrics vary across measures, the aggregated findings support the existence of a parenting stress construct and further confirm the relevance of parenting stress to family functioning, youth psychopathology, and mental health interventions.
Abstract The present study examined the profiles of parental perceptions of their child’s school adjustment in terms of learning loss and school well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. ...Furthermore, the extent to which the profiles differed with respect to the different children and their family characteristics, as well as their parents’ stress about their child’s schooling, were examined. Parents ( N = 26,313) completed a questionnaire in spring 2021 concerning parental stress and their children’s schooling. The five-profile solution was identified using latent profile analysis: (1) slightly-higher-than-average-school-adjustment ( n = 8198, 31.2%); (2) high-school-adjustment ( n = 3017, 11.5%); (3) slightly-lower-than-average-school-adjustment ( n = 5025, 19.1%); (4) low-school-adjustment ( n = 6777, 25.7%); and (5) mixed-school-adjustment ( n = 3296, 12.5%). The low-school-adjustment profile was overrepresented among parents of boys, older children, and children with special education needs as well as among parents with lower education levels, higher numbers of children, and in single-parent households. In addition, the results showed that parental stress about their child’s schooling was associated with their perceptions of their child’s school adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the results demonstrate that parents’ views of their children’s school adjustment varied widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. At schools, particular attention should be given to at-risk families (e.g., families with low education levels and children with special education needs) in which children may be prone to learning loss and low well-being due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result of the abrupt closures of daycare centers in Germany due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents' ability to provide learning opportunities at home became all the more important. Building on ...the family stress model, the study investigates how parental stress affected changes in parents' provision of home learning activities (HLA) during the lockdown, compared to before the lockdown. In addition, the study considers parental self-efficacy and perceived social support as protective factors that may play important roles in disrupting the negative effects of stress. Data stems from a nation-wide survey of 7,837 German parents of children ages 1-6 years, which was conducted in Spring 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19 infections and at a time of strict restrictions in Germany. Results revealed that parental stress was negatively related to changes in the provision of HLA. Parental self-efficacy and an intact social support system were protective of parental stress during the lockdown. Additionally, parental self-efficacy and - to a larger extend - perceived social support interacted with parental stress in the relation to changes in the provision of HLA. Specifically, self-efficacy and perceived social support acted as protective factors that buffered the negative influence of stress on parents' ability to provide educational activities for their children at home. These results have important implications for supporting families with young children during challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary closure of daycare centers.
Introduction
Children with ASD may present their parents with several challenges, most notably aggressive and destructive behaviors. Parents of children with ASD typically experience more stress, ...depressive and anxiety symptoms than other parents. Mindfulness-based interventions are reported to be effective in reducing parental stress along with improving the challenging behaviors of their children
Objectives
The current review aimed to investigate if the use of mindfulness-based interventions is beneficial to reduce parental stress when caring for children with ASD.
Methods
The databases of PsycINFO and PubMED were used. The variables studied in this systematic review were Autism, Parental stress, and Mindfulness. Inclusion criteria were that all articles should be academic journals, and with a full text available in English during the last 20 years.
Results
Compared to other behavioral approaches, mindfulness-based interventions showed statistically significant results in reducing the stress levels of parents as well as improving their children’s challenging behaviors.
Conclusions
Most of the studies in the current review indicated that mindfulness-based interventions are beneficial in improving the stress level of parents.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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