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The Increase in Parenting Stress and Its Impact on Children’s...
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The Increase in Parenting Stress and Its Impact on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Development

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2026 | Viewed by 1920

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ina Nehring

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Social Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
Interests: infant nutrition; eating behavior; parenting stress; infant and toddler mental health; parent-child relationship
Dr. Anna Friedmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Social Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
Interests: parenting stress; infant and toddler mental health; infant crying; sleeping; feeding problems; parenting behaviors; parent–child relationship; mental labor in mothers and fathers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Stress resulting from being a parent, i.e., parenting stress, is characterized by an imbalance between parental resources and child care requirements, with high levels of parenting stress being associated with various potentially harmful factors for children’s emotional and behavioral development. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, studies have shown that parenting stress has increased, and recent results suggest that it is continuing to rise in the face of current societal challenges. Given this background, we would like to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue “The Increase in Parenting Stress and its Impact on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Development”.

The central aim of this Special Issue is to deepen our understanding of the impact of today’s parenting stress on children’s emotional and behavioral development in different populations and age groups. Research on the impact of parenting stress on children’s mental health outcomes, as well as developmental outcomes with a focus on social–emotional skills, is highly welcomed. Another focus will be on current influencing factors for parenting stress, as well as innovative prevention and intervention programs addressing parenting stress.

In particular, we invite researchers to present their original work (research articles and systematic reviews)on the topics of parenting stress and child emotional and behavioral development. Topics may include (but are not limited to) risk factors for parenting stress, sequelae of parenting stress, and potential protecting factors for child development in this context. A focus on prevention and intervention is also welcome.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ina Nehring
Dr. Anna Friedmann
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • parenting stress
  • child emotional development
  • child behavior
  • child mental health
  • parent–child relationship
  • parenting behaviors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 754 KB  
Article
Infant Regulatory Problems and Subsequent Behavioral Difficulties: The Mediating Role of Parenting Stress
by Ina Nehring, Daria Reitmeier, Anna Friedmann, Volker Mall and Michaela Augustin
Children 2026, 13(4), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13040494 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 515
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Infant regulatory problems (RPs) are at risk of persisting and can contribute to later behavioral difficulties. Parenting stress has been identified as a risk factor associated with child RPs, but its mediating role has rarely been investigated in this context. The [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Infant regulatory problems (RPs) are at risk of persisting and can contribute to later behavioral difficulties. Parenting stress has been identified as a risk factor associated with child RPs, but its mediating role has rarely been investigated in this context. The aim of the study was (1) to investigate whether RP symptoms were related to subsequent infant RP symptoms/toddler behavioral and emotional problems (BEPs) between two pediatric check-ups in the first 3 years of life and (2) to investigate the potential role of parenting stress as a partial mediator in the association of infant RPs and subsequent RPs/BEPs. Methods: Using data from a German cohort study (CoronaBaBY), associations between infant RPs at baseline and RPs/toddlers BEPs at follow-up (around 8 months later) were analyzed. Parenting stress was included as a mediation variable into the model. Results: In total, 725 parent–child dyads were analyzed. Mean infant age was 5.0 months (SD = 3.4). Elevated RP symptoms at baseline significantly predicted infant RP symptoms and BEPs at follow-up. Parenting stress at baseline significantly predicted feeding problems and BEPs at follow-up. Parenting stress partially mediated the associations between baseline infant RPs and follow-up RPs respectively BEPs in most models. Conclusions: Interventions should consider the partially mediating role of parenting stress, especially for the later development of BEPs. Research should aim to identify additional factors influencing infant regulatory problems and subsequent behavioral difficulties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Increase in Parenting Stress and Its Impact on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Development)
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18 pages, 1233 KB  
Article
Growing Up in Families with Parenting Stress and Conflict: Longitudinal Psychosocial Risk Patterns, Behavioral Problems and the Moderating Role of the Home Learning Environment
by Susanne M. Ulrich, Anja Linberg, Sabine Düval and Susanne Kuger
Children 2026, 13(2), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13020276 - 17 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 883
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Assessing psychosocial burden in families can help identify those at risk and prevent negative effects on children’s well-being. This study (1) describes the longitudinal stability of psychosocial risk patterns; (2) examines group differences in the home learning environment as protective factors [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Assessing psychosocial burden in families can help identify those at risk and prevent negative effects on children’s well-being. This study (1) describes the longitudinal stability of psychosocial risk patterns; (2) examines group differences in the home learning environment as protective factors and in child behavior problems as an outcome; and (3) tests the moderating role of home learning activities on child behavior problems. We further explore associations with the use of institutional childcare. Methods: Data from 1459 children aged 0–6 years from the representative longitudinal study AID:A 2019 were analyzed across two time points (T1: 2019, T2: 2023). We tested differences in children’s behavioral problems according to risk patterns, home learning environment, and control variables, including institutional care and support service use. Results: The shares of families categorized as low-burdened, economically burdened, parenting-stress-and-conflict-burdened and multiple-burdened remained stable over time, even though individual stability was only moderate. Children in families with parenting stress and conflict as well as those from multiple-burdened families more frequently displayed behavioral problems at T2 than other groups. Educational activity was a protective factor for behavioral problems for most groups, but was a risk factor in conflict-and-stress-burdened families. Similar results were found for the use of universal social/educational prevention services. Conclusions: For most families, a better home learning environment appears to act as a buffer against the effect of risk group membership on children’s emotional well-being. However, in families marked by stress and conflict, the frequency of time together might not be beneficial—possibly because the quality of interactions matters more than the quantity. Universal social and educational services might be a place to address these families and develop targeted support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Increase in Parenting Stress and Its Impact on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Development)
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