Journal of Family Psychology

You are not fully present with me: How own and perceived partner mindfulness shape relationship outcomes.
The purpose of this study was to examine the intrapersonal and interpersonal associations among mindfulness, perceived partner mindfulness, and relationship outcomes in married couples. Mindfulness is a quality of mind that is likely to translate into observable behaviors; thus, individuals may perceive their spouse’s tendency to be mindful. Despite this, the link between perceived partner mindfulness and marital outcomes has not yet been explored. In this study, a sample of 115 married couples were recruited to complete a survey that included measures of mindfulness, perceived partner mindfulness, and several marital outcomes (e.g., positive and negative relationship quality, positive conflict communication). A series of actor–partner interdependence models demonstrated that, when accounting for both, perceived partner mindfulness outperformed self-reported mindfulness in terms of their associations with marital outcomes. For example, female perceived trait mindfulness was linked with all relationship outcomes for both themselves and their spouses, but female self-reported trait mindfulness was only significantly associated with their own negative relationship quality and their spouse’s positive conflict communication. The findings of this study suggest that perceiving one’s spouse to be more mindful may be linked with positive relationship outcomes above and beyond one’s own mindfulness. This study highlights the importance of accounting for perceived partner mindfulness in subsequent research that seeks to understand the role of mindfulness in romantic relationships as well as in clinical work with couples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Who is in control? Longitudinal connections between marital power and parental psychological control.
The present study explored longitudinal associations between marital power dynamics and parental psychological control and tested whether partners’ sense of relational autonomy mediated these connections. Self-determination theory supports that harmful marital dynamics may spill into parenting practices, such as engaging in parental psychological control, and that parents’ autonomy may mediate connections. Using an actor–partner interdependence model and an actor–partner interdependence mediation model, this study examined direct associations between marital power and parental psychological control, as well as indirect associations with autonomy as a mediator. Longitudinal dyadic data of 321 married, two-parent families were drawn from three waves of the Flourishing Families Project collected annually from 2009 to 2011. Results indicated that wives’ perceptions of a power struggle in the marriage were associated with both partners’ greater parental psychological control concurrently and were predictive of increases in their own parental psychological control across the span of 1 year. Although notable connections were found between marital power and autonomy, autonomy did not mediate pathways to parental psychological control. These findings highlight the importance of marital functioning in the use of certain parenting practices and suggest marital power as a potential intervention point when psychological control of children is present. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Long-term effects of changes in coparenting quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study examines changes in coparenting quality during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term parent, child, and family well-being. Although there is clear evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted families, less is known about family resilience factors that could mitigate this impact. Understanding whether positive coparenting quality is a protective factor during crises is important for promoting parent, child, and family well-being. The study collected data from 150 parents who participated in a transition-to-parenthood intervention trial 10 years prior. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the association between changes in coparenting quality from before the pandemic (Time 1) to the early stage of the pandemic (Time 2) with parent, child, and family adjustment 19 months later (Time 3). Moderation effects were also explored. Over half of parents reported a decline in coparenting relationship quality between Time 1 and Time 2 while about one third reported an improvement. A more positive change in coparenting was associated with better parent and family adjustment at Time 3. Moderation analyses showed that positive changes in coparenting were associated with fewer internalizing symptoms for female children and, for families with younger children, increased positive and decreased negative parenting behaviors. These findings support the idea that positive coparenting can serve as a resilience factor during times of crisis. Practitioners working with families in crisis should consider incorporating coparenting interventions and strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Parents’ perception of children’s behaviors, self-compassion, and parenting stress: Actor–partner interdependence model.
This study explores how self-compassion mediates the relations between parents’ perceptions of children’s behaviors and parenting stress, as well as interactions between parents. We conducted a longitudinal actor–partner interdependence mediation model and assessed parents’ perceptions of children’s behaviors, self-compassion, and parenting stress. A total of 656 pairs of parents (fathers’ Mage = 34.96 years, SDage = 5.62; mothers’ Mage = 33.13 years, SDage = 5.77) participated in the study. Results revealed that parents’ perceptions of children’s problem behavior affected their own parenting stress through their self-compassion. Additionally, parents’ perceptions of children’s prosocial behavior directly influenced their own parenting stress and also affected it through self-compassion in both parents. Parents’ perceptions of children’s problem behavior directly influenced their partner’s parenting stress and also indirectly through their own self-compassion. Similarly, parents’ perceptions of children’s prosocial behavior affected their partner’s parenting stress via self-compassion in both parents. The findings highlighted the importance of parents recognizing and valuing their children’s positive behaviors, thereby fostering a constructive “child effect” that improved the dynamics of the parental subsystem. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Stressful family life events and father involvement in Korean children’s sociobehavioral health.
We examined the longitudinal associations between stressful family life events at 4 years of age and children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors at 7 years of age, whether family functioning and parental warmth (i.e., mothers’ warmth, fathers’ warmth) mediated those associations, and whether the associations varied by fathers’ involvement in Korean families. Participants were 1,703 families, including mothers (Mage = 34 years; SD = 3.70 years), fathers (Mage = 37 years; SD = 3.97 years), and children (Mage = 51 months; SD = 1.22 months) from the Panel Study on Korean Children. Results revealed that stressful family life events were positively associated with children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors but not via family functioning and parental warmth. Family functioning and mothers’ warmth successively mediated the association between father involvement and children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Father involvement moderated the association between stressful family life events and children’s externalizing behaviors. The findings highlight that father involvement may play a protective role in children’s externalizing behaviors when Korean families experience stressful situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Neighborhood assets, parenting, and child disruptive behavior in low-income Black families.
Neighborhood assets, such as access to recreational facilities, density of residence, and safety, were examined in relation to parenting and disruptive behavior in early childhood. Examining data from a low-income Black preschool sample, this study investigated how self-reported neighborhood assets and observed parenting behaviors interactively predict observed disruptive behavior in children. Findings revealed a significant relationship between parenting and child behavior, where parenting with high sensitivity and engagement and parenting with less verbal and physical interference and intrusiveness predicted fewer child disruptive behaviors. There was also a significant interaction between neighborhood assets and parenting behaviors on child disruptive behavior, in which nonoptimal parenting behaviors predicted child disruptive behaviors to a greater degree in neighborhoods with fewer assets. On the other hand, optimal parenting was protective of child outcomes under conditions of fewer assets, above and beyond parenting in neighborhoods with greater assets. Few studies have examined this complex relationship between the neighborhood, parenting, and child disruptive behavior with the use of self-report and observational measures utilized in this study. Furthermore, few studies have examined this relationship within such a high-risk preschool sample. Given these findings, there is a need to improve neighborhoods to better support families. Additionally, clinicians may need to be more attentive to the effects of parenting and neighborhood assets on disruptive behavior in early childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Grandparent support moderates the relation between socioeconomic status and children’s cognitive development.
Grandparents support American families in many ways, but they have often been overlooked in research on typical families (e.g., parents raising children). We examined whether grandparents have a positive influence on children’s development by buffering the relation between parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s cognitive development. Parents (N = 437) from 45 U.S. states reported on 1,047 grandparent relationships with their 3- to 5-year-old children (Mage = 4.18 years) and how helpful grandparents are regarding financial, instrumental, emotional, and informational support, which were summed together across all grandparent relationships. We found that SES (a composite of family income and parents’ average education) was significantly related to preschoolers’ cognitive development (a composite of receptive and expressive language, literacy, and numbers). However, this relation was weaker when grandparents provided a higher level of support. Most families received grandparent support of basic child needs (e.g., clothing) and educational resources that could contribute to children’s cognitive development (e.g., books). Grandparents provided greater financial, instrumental, emotional, and informational support to parents when they were emotionally close to the grandchild and interacted frequently. However, only emotional support was related to the geographical distance to the grandchild. These results suggest that even in parent-led American families, grandparents play a supportive, buffering role against the potential negative effects of lower SES on children’s cognitive development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
The moderating effect of maternal modeling on age-related decline in children’s physical activity.
Maintaining adequate levels of physical activity is challenging for many children. Parents, particularly mothers, play a pivotal role in children’s engagement in health behaviors. This longitudinal study investigated the moderating role of maternal physical activity-related modeling behaviors on the typical age-related decline in children’s physical activity. A total of six waves of 1-week ecological momentary assessments were conducted with mother–child dyads (N = 202) of 8- to 12-year-old children. The results indicated that both maternal physical activity and physical activity in the presence of their child attenuated the typical decline in the children’s physical activity over time. These findings underscore the importance of maternal physical activity-related behaviors in shaping children’s physical activity habits over time. The discussion centers on the need to further explore the mechanisms underlying these moderation effects and outlines implications for interventions targeting children’s physical activity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Longitudinal trajectories of maternal depression are associated with maternal and child problematic media use.
This study uses a family systems and differential susceptibility framework to examine the association between postpartum media ecosystems, trajectories of maternal depression, and problematic media use in mothers and children (N = 501) in the United Sates over a 5-year period. Three classes of trajectories of maternal depression were identified: low stable, decreasers, and increasers. Results indicate that different classes of trajectories of maternal depression demonstrated differing levels of maternal problematic media use at Wave 1 and differing levels of both mother and child problematic media use at Wave 5. This family perspective provides a deeper understanding of how media ecosystems are connected to family-level processes and problematic media use for mothers and children. Findings suggest the need for better support of new mothers at a systemic level to support mothers’ mental health and the healthy development of children’s early relationship with media and technology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Parent–child discrepancies in reports of child psychosocial functioning in neurofibromatosis type 1.
Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are at an increased risk for social–emotional difficulties. These difficulties, including depression and anxiety, are typically measured through parental report of child functioning in research and rarely have children with NF1 rated their own well-being. Discrepancies between parent proxy- and child self-report of psychosocial functioning in other populations have been shown to relate to socioemotional problems and distress. This study examined the concordance of parent proxy- and child self-report of child behavioral and social–emotional functioning on selected Behavior Assessment System for Children–Second Edition subscales in families of children with NF1 and plexiform neurofibroma tumors (pNFs). We also sought to explore possible child, family, and community factors relating to discrepancies in reporting for youth with NF1 and pNFs. Overall, parents reported higher symptoms across psychosocial domains (anxiety, depression, and atypicality) in comparison to their children. Furthermore, characteristics like child sex, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis, and family functioning significantly predicted differences in ratings of child functioning. These findings indicate that multi-informant studies are crucial to understanding multiple perspectives among family members in symptom-reporting and risk factors for these discrepancies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Revision of the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS) in an ethnoracially diverse national sample.
Parenting predicts a wide range of developmental outcomes. Thus, improved assessment of parenting has critical implications for screening into services, identifying additional needs during interventions, and monitoring intervention progress. While there is rising interest in family research focusing on racial and ethnic diversity, there is an unmet need for valid, reliable, and equitable assessments of parenting in racially and ethnically diverse populations. The Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS) is a measure of parenting with strong psychometric properties. Despite its high utility, the MAPS is limited in that it was developed in a predominantly White sample (87%). Yet, minoritized racial and ethnic groups currently comprise 40% of the U.S. population. Therefore, this project extended the utility of the MAPS to racially and ethnically diverse families by (a) refining MAPS items using n = 100 cognitive interviews with parents from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds to enhance racial and ethnic representation, (b) quantitatively establishing the Revised MAPS factor structure, and (c) assessing reliability, validity, and measurement invariance by race and ethnicity among N = 1,699 parents (25.2% non-Hispanic White, 22.2% non-Hispanic Asian, 23.8% non-Hispanic Black, and 25.6% Hispanic). Following revisions guided by cognitive interviews to improve and add items, the factor structure of the MAPS was replicated in the Revised MAPS. Further, measurement invariance, reliability, and validity of the Revised MAPS were partially supported. Using a multimethod approach, this revision increases the utility of the MAPS by extension to this historically underrepresented segment of the U.S. population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)

Journal of Family Psychology - Vol 39, Iss 1