Search Results (454)

The family care of left-behind children often combines in-person grandparental caregiving with parental remote parenting; yet, how these two forms of care jointly relate to children’s mental health remains underexplored. Drawing on family systems theory, this study used data from 6317 rural left-behind children cared for by grandparents in the 2023 Hubei Province Survey of Vulnerable Children. Latent class analysis (LCA) and regression models were applied to identify grandparenting styles, parental remote parenting, and their interaction. Grandparenting styles were identified as warmly controlling, indifferent punitive, and mildly interventional. Compared with the mildly interventional style, the warmly controlling style was associated with higher resilience and lower psychological distress, whereas the indifferent punitive style showed the opposite pattern. Parental remote parenting was associated with higher resilience and lower psychological distress, but its strength varied across grandparenting contexts. In the indifferent punitive style, its positive association with resilience was weaker; in the warmly controlling style, its negative association with psychological distress was weaker. These findings suggest that parental remote parenting serves as a conditional family resource embedded in grandparental care environments, contributing to the mental health of left-behind children. The study shows the asymmetric role of intergenerational coparenting in psychological resilience and distress. Full article

Anorexia nervosa (AN) in adolescence is associated with substantial morbidity and complex family processes. Family-based approaches are the best-established psychosocial treatments, but remission rates remain modest and broader family and emotional processes are often only partly addressed. This case series describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a behavior-analytic family intervention combining parent-led refeeding with structured work on parental socioemotional and educational skills. Eight families were screened, five entered treatment, and four completed a 20-session outpatient protocol delivered weekly over approximately six months, with assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and three-month follow-up. Outcomes included anthropometric indicators, menstrual status, eating-disorder psychopathology, adolescent and caregiver functioning, parenting style, perceived family support, and parent satisfaction. Among completer families, attendance was 100%. Mean BMI increased from 16.72 at baseline to 18.91 post-treatment and 19.03 at follow-up; mean EDE-Q total score decreased from 4.25 to 1.40 and 0.73, respectively. All four adolescents achieved physiological remission and reliable EDE-Q improvement by follow-up; three also met multidimensional remission criteria. The intervention was feasible, acceptable, and clinically promising, but larger studies with independent assessment and comparison conditions are needed. Full article

This cross-sectional study examined the association of maternal educational involvement with early adolescent academic adjustment and tested maternal authoritativeness as a moderator. Participants were 665 senior elementary school students (52% were boys; mean age = 10.54 years; age range = 9.08–14.83) from Hong Kong, China. Using paper-and-pencil questionnaires, students rated their mothers’ home-based involvement (i.e., support and encouragement, expectations and attitudes, and rules and monitoring) and school-based involvement (i.e., communication with teachers and participation in school events) as well as their mothers’ overall authoritativeness. Students also rated their own academic adjustment (i.e., motivation, skills, and competence). Hierarchical regressions indicated that maternal support and encouragement were uniquely linked to early adolescent academic skills, whereas maternal rules and monitoring were uniquely linked to early adolescent academic motivation and competence. Moreover, especially for students with authoritative mothers, maternal expectations and attitudes were uniquely linked to academic motivation, skills, and competence, and maternal communication with teachers was uniquely linked to early adolescent academic skills and competence. Findings highlighted the importance of conceptualizing parental educational involvement and adolescent academic adjustment as multidimensional constructs and differentiating between parenting practices versus parenting styles. Practically, interventionists and policy makers may consider targeting both maternal educational involvement and maternal authoritativeness as possible ways to promote early adolescent academic adjustment. Full article

Political identity permeates people’s everyday experiences and begins to develop early in adolescence. Understanding which variables may influence this development, and in what direction, can provide valuable insight into underlying differences between political groups in the face of increasing polarization. To that end, this study aimed to investigate the political differences between those with each of the identity styles and elucidate the differential roles of parental and news media influences on attitudes concerning welfare and traditional gender roles in those with each identity style. University students (N = 395) answered questions about their identity style as well as their own and their parents’ political identities and media consumption. Those with a normative style were found to hold more conservative political attitudes than those with an informational style, and parental and media influence were predictive of one’s own political identity only among those with the normative style. Political attitudes of those with the diffuse-avoidant style differed from the normative but not informational style, and their political identity was only predicted by media influence. These differences demonstrate the usefulness of considering identity and developmental factors when researching intergroup political phenomena. Full article

The paradigm shift in early childhood education from custodial care to development-centered environments underscores the importance of kindergarten indoor activity spaces. However, how spatial configuration influences children’s embodied behaviors remains underexplored, particularly in cold-arid regions of western China, where prolonged indoor periods amplify the significance of interior spatial quality. Integrating embodied cognition and affordance theories, this study develops a coupling framework linking spatial metrics with behavioral outcomes. A mixed-methods approach combined 196 parent and 36 teacher questionnaires with space syntax analysis across three typical kindergartens in Lanzhou, China. Visual Integration [HH] was positively correlated with physical movement (r = 0.52, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with solitude (r = −0.52, p < 0.01); Connectivity was positively associated with sensory exploration (r = 0.42, p < 0.05). Coupling coordination degrees ranged from 0.689 to 0.856, revealing a “high coupling, imbalanced development” pattern, with privacy affordance as a notable shortfall in the wide-corridor typology. The older courtyard-style kindergarten surpassed the newly built one (0.856 vs. 0.838) despite lower facility quality. Parent satisfaction depended more on spatial richness (r = 0.61) than on facility quality (r = 0.47). Spatial configuration shapes embodied behaviors through layout-specific affordances. An evidence-based optimization framework is proposed for kindergarten design in cold-arid climate zones. Full article

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of mother’s and father’s joint parenting on young adult mental health outcomes, and to explore the impact of sex, personality and family structure in observed relationships. Two hundred and forty-five Northern Irish university students (mean age 21.11 years, SD 2.70, 66% female, 94% white) completed the Measure of Parental Style (MOPS) to measure perception of maternal and paternal indifference, overcontrol and abuse. Mental health was assessed using measures of alcohol misuse, depression and anxiety. Moderators included personality, sex and family structure. Cluster analysis revealed three parenting clusters indicative of positive parenting, negative fathering, and negative mothering. Negative parenting by either parent was associated with higher depression, regardless of sex or family structure. We found some evidence of a buffering effect of negative fathering in the context of good enough parenting from the mother, in that negative parenting from the mother, and not the father, was associated with anxiety symptoms and with earlier drinking in females. The impact of negative parenting by either parent was particularly pronounced in young people who displayed high levels of punishment sensitivity. These results highlight the importance of both parents in the preservation of mental health through to adulthood, regardless of whether they remain together. They also argue for family-focused care in the management of youth mental health. Full article

Background/Objectives: Anemia in early childhood remains a key global health issue due to its impact on growth and development. While biological determinants of anemia have been extensively studied, parenting styles remain unexplored. This study aimed to examine the association between parenting styles, anemia, and developmental outcomes among under-five children. Methods: From February to March 2026, a cross-sectional study was carried out in Bandung, Indonesia, involving children aged 6–59 months who visited the Pasirkaliki Primary Health Centre. Anemia was confirmed by laboratory testing, defined as a hemoglobin level ≤ 11 g/dL. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire was used to assess parenting styles, while the Pre-Screening Developmental Questionnaire was used to examine child development. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test, Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression analysis. Results: One hundred and ninety-three subjects were included in the analysis, among which 20.2% were anemic, with a significantly higher proportion among children aged below 24 months (p < 0.001). Permissive parenting was significantly more common among children with anemia and was associated with higher odds of anemia (aOR = 10.31; 95% CI: 3.92–27.10). Children with anemia had significantly higher odds of developmental delay (aOR = 19.49; 95% CI: 6.46–58.84), after adjustment for child age, maternal education, and family income. Conclusions: Permissive parenting was associated with anemia, while anemia was associated with increased odds of developmental delay in under-five children, highlighting the importance of considering not only biological but also psychosocial factors in early child health interventions. Full article

Background: Parental burnout results from chronic stress related to the parental role and reflects a persistent imbalance between parenting demands and available psychological resources, negatively affecting parental well-being and parent–child relationships. This study examined the associations between parental burnout, parenting attitudes, and psychological resilience within the parental adaptation of the job demands–resources model, with particular attention to the potential mediating role of parenting styles in the relationship between resilience and parental burnout, while controlling for sociodemographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied with 447 Hungarian parents who completed an anonymous online questionnaire including the Parental Burnout Assessment, the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, and the 10-item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using nonparametric correlations, group comparisons, multiple linear regression models with bootstrap estimation, and mediation analyses. Results: Resilience showed negative associations with all dimensions of parental burnout. Authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were positively associated with burnout, whereas authoritative parenting style showed negative associations. In multivariate analyses, authoritative parenting attitudes and fulfillment of the ideal parental role emerged as protective factors, while authoritarian parenting style functioned as a significant risk factor. Mediation analyses further indicated that the association between resilience and parental burnout may partly operate through parenting styles, particularly across the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, contrast, and emotional distancing. Conclusions: Parental burnout appears to be a dynamic psychological process shaped by the interaction of internal resources and parenting functioning, underscoring the importance of resource-oriented approaches in prevention and intervention. Full article

Background/Objectives: Dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in children can negatively affect oral health behaviors and dental care utilization. Family-related factors, particularly parental anxiety, parenting styles, and socioeconomic characteristics, may be associated with DFA. This study aimed to investigate the association between family-related factors and DFA among children aged 6–8 years in Jakarta, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 294 child–parent pairs recruited from 10 primary schools using multistage cluster sampling. Children’s DFA was assessed using the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule–Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS), whereas parental dental anxiety was measured using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Sociodemographic and family-related characteristics, including parenting styles, were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Overall, 34.7% of the children were classified as having DFA. Maternal employment was significantly associated with children’s DFA, with children of formally employed mothers having higher odds of DFA (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.05–3.85; p = 0.034). Parental dental anxiety was associated with children’s DFA. Children whose fathers and mothers reported high levels of dental anxiety had 4.68-fold (95% CI: 1.64–13.33; p = 0.004) and 2.50-fold (95% CI: 1.10–5.74; p = 0.029) higher odds of experiencing DFA, respectively. Dental drilling and injections were the most frequently reported fear-provoking stimuli. The final regression model explained 13% of the variance in children’s DFA. Conclusions: Parental dental anxiety and maternal employment were significantly associated with DFA among children aged 6–8 years. Family-centered preventive strategies and early identification of at-risk children may help reduce DFA and promote positive dental experiences and oral health outcomes. Full article

Play is a universal activity. Yet there are cultural and linguistic differences in how families engage in adult–child play. In the present study, Thai–English bilingual mother–child dyads completed a toy play task in both languages. The results revealed cross-linguistic differences in bilingual mothers’ and children’s conversation styles. When speaking Thai, the nature of bilinguals’ dyadic play was more adult-centered, characterized by the use of directives by the mothers and use of repetitions by the children, which was congruent with parent–child interpersonal dynamics in high-power-distance Asian cultures. When speaking English, the play session was more child-centered, evidenced by children’s use of directives and encouragements, which was congruent with behavioral norms in low-power-distance Western cultures. Bilingual mothers and children exhibited positive associations in their narrative styles during both the Thai and English sessions. Additionally, the preliminary results provided evidence that cross-linguistic differences in mother–child speech patterns may be moderated by child gender. These findings suggest that the communicative and interactional patterns that bilingual caregivers modeled for bilingual children varied across languages and that preschoolers aligned their behaviors with those exemplified by their mothers. We conclude that bilingualism influences early social communication, with theoretical and applied implications for researchers, educators, and clinicians. Full article

Metals like Li, Sn, W, Nb and Ta accumulate mostly during the magmatic–hydrothermal transition and subsequent hydrothermal alteration of highly fractionated granites, especially greisenization. Evaluation of about 450 bulk-rock analyses, 1500 LA-ICP-MS analyses of quartz and 1600 EPMA and LA-ICP-MS analyses of mica from parental granites and related greisens and quartz–mica veins from four typical areas of European Variscan granite plutons with greisen mineralization (Beauvoir, France; Panasqueira, Portugal; and Cínovec and Nejdek, Erzgebirge, Czech Republic) illustrate diversity in initial magma composition (S- vs. A-types), in style of greisenization (pervasive greisenization in granite cupolas vs. vein-like greisen strings along joints), and in chemical evolution of quartz and micas during magmatic–hydrothermal transition. The contents of all monitored elements in quartz and mica from greisen and veins are of very high variability, with principal differences among studied localities. Generally, very low contents of Al (<100 ppm), Ti (<1 ppm) and Li (<10 ppm) or, on the contrary, extremely high contents of Al (>1000 ppm) or Li (>100 ppm) in quartz may indicate its hydrothermal origin. Contents of Sn, W, Nb, and Ta in micas tend to become depleted during greisenization, this trend is more pronounced in Nb and Ta than in Sn and W. Transition from magmatic to hydrothermal crystallization leads to an increase in the Ta/Nb values in mica: from 0.20 to 0.24 in S-type magmatic systems, and from 0.13 to 0.34 at Cínovec as a representative of A-type granites. Whether granite belongs to the S- or A-type is not essential for the development of greisenization. Full article

Previous studies have predominantly examined parental acceptance, parental control, and aggression separately, often focusing on one parenting dimension or one parental figure at a time. This study investigated the associations between maternal, paternal, and parental acceptance and control and five distinct forms of aggression (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and general aggression) among Turkish emerging adults. A convenience sample of 487 emerging adult university students (381 females, 106 males) completed the Personal Information Form, the Parenting Styles Questionnaire, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses. Results indicated that maternal acceptance and parental acceptance were negatively associated with physical aggression, verbal aggression, hostility, and general aggression, whereas paternal acceptance was negatively associated with hostility and general aggression. Maternal control, paternal control, and overall parental control consistently emerged as significant positive predictors of physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and general aggression. These findings suggest that parental control is associated with higher levels of various forms of aggression among Turkish emerging adults, whereas parental acceptance is associated with lower levels of aggression, with differential effects of maternal and paternal parenting. Overall, our findings indicate that parenting influences on aggression during emerging adulthood are multifaceted, varying by parenting dimension, parental figure, and form of aggression. Interventions for emerging adults should prioritize reducing excessive parental control as a universal target regardless of parental source, while fostering parental acceptance (particularly maternal acceptance) may be associated with additional protective effects for most but not all forms of aggression. Full article

Parental emotional expressivity toward their child is an integral component of creating a family emotional climate, which is the primary context in which children develop social–emotional skills. The current study sought to empirically test Darling and Steinberg’s model that parent attitudes that make up parenting style effect parental emotional expressivity during parent–child interaction. Using longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), the authors examined the compounding effects of maternal authoritarian attitudes measured soon after birth on maternal emotional expressivity toward their infant across three time points (child at 6, 15, and 24 months old). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses (HLMs) demonstrated that a mother’s (n = 1165, M_age = 28.2 years) authoritarian attitudes were associated with both decreased positive expressivity and increased negative expressivity toward their child at 6 months of age. Mothers who held more authoritarian attitudes at baseline demonstrated an increased rate of growth in negative expressivity toward their child over time. Maternal race and income were also significantly associated with the linear rate of growth of negative expressivity over time but not in positive expressivity. This suggests that authoritarian attitudes measured when the child is 1 month old continue to impact parent behavior up to 23 months later. This pattern suggests a potential window for effective universal prevention efforts in promoting nurturing parent behavior and promoting positive parent–child relationships. A possible target of prevention intervention could be providing parents with components of a modularized emotion regulation curriculum. The content could help parents to regulate their negative expressivity toward the child and focus on the message they want to convey to the child related to the child’s specific behavior. Full article

Background: Health-promoting lifestyle behaviors established during young adulthood play a crucial role in shaping long-term physical and mental health outcomes, including the risk of chronic disease, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Parenting styles represent an important psychosocial factor that may be associated with health-related behaviors; however, evidence regarding their association with multidimensional health-promoting lifestyles among university students remains limited. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 700 university students. Parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) were assessed using validated self-report measures. Health-promoting lifestyle behaviors were measured with the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II), including six subscales: Health Responsibility, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Spiritual Growth, Interpersonal Relations, and Stress Management, as well as the overall HPLP II score. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine associations between parenting styles and each HPLP II subscale and the total score. Results: All regression models were statistically significant (p < 0.001), explaining between 5.2% and 13.5% of variance across HPLP II subscales and 11.8% of variance in the total score. Authoritative parenting was significantly positively associated all health-promoting lifestyle domains (β = 0.22–0.33, p < 0.001), including physical activity, interpersonal relations, stress management, and overall health-promoting lifestyle. Permissive parenting was negatively associated with several domains, particularly physical activity, interpersonal relations, stress management, and the total HPLP II score (β = −0.07 to −0.12, p < 0.05). Authoritarian parenting showed weaker and more selective negative associations, most notably with nutrition and stress management. Conclusions: Parenting styles are significantly associated with health-promoting lifestyle behaviors among university students. Authoritative parenting was consistently associated with more favorable health-promoting lifestyle patterns across multiple domains, whereas permissive and authoritarian parenting may be linked to less favorable health behaviors. These findings suggest that perceived parenting styles are associated with health-related behaviors among university students. Full article

Although prior research has typically examined the relationship between parenting styles and left-behind children’s social adaptation using broad categories without identifying directly linked dimensions, the present study employed network analysis to conceptualise both as interconnected dimensional networks. Methods: A total of 2452 children (713 left-behind, 1739 non-left-behind) were included. Results: (1) The results revealed that interpersonal adaptation and learning adaptation were core dimensions in the SA networks of both groups. (2) In the combined PS-SA network for left-behind children, the core dimensions were interpersonal adaptation, learning adaptation, father’s rejection, and mother’s rejection; for non-left-behind children, they were interpersonal adaptation, learning adaptation, mother’s rejection, and mother’s emotional warmth. (3) Network comparisons further indicated that the connections between father’s rejection and interpersonal adaptation, father’s rejection and learning adaptation, and father’s emotional warmth and learning adaptation were stronger in the left-behind group, whereas the connections between mother’s emotional warmth and positive emotional adaptation, and between interpersonal adaptation and learning adaptation, were stronger in the non-left-behind group. Conclusions: these findings visualise and specify how distinct parenting dimensions relate to different facets of social adaptation, offering parents and schools potential targets for adaptation education tailored to left-behind children. Full article