Bidirectional associations between maternal depressive symptomatology and parenting: moderating effects of breastfeeding and partner support

Maternal depressive symptoms across the first three years of life: age-differentiated associations with marital satisfaction, parenting stress, and parenting attitudes in Korean mothers

Reciprocal associations between parent-child relationships and adolescent depressive symptoms: The longitudinal mediation role of insomnia and sex differences.

Postpartum Partner Support and Depression in the Early Postnatal Period: The Mediating Role of Maternal Ambivalence and Sleep Quality

This study examined the associations between perceived partner support and postpartum depressive symptoms among women in the early postnatal period and evaluated the potential mediating roles of maternal ambivalence and sleep quality. A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 336 postpartum women between November 2024 and May 2025. Data were collected using the Perceived Partner Support Scale in the Early Postpartum Period, Maternal Ambivalence Scale, Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Analyses were performed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0, including path and mediation analyses within structural equation modeling. Emotional support was directly associated with lower postpartum depressive symptom scores (β =-0.014, p = 0.017), while social support was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms (β=-0.018, p = 0.024). In addition, emotional support showed significant indirect associations with depressive symptoms through the suppression dimension of maternal ambivalence (β = -0.101, p = 0.001) and sleep quality (β =-0.093, p = 0.005). Social support demonstrated a significant indirect association with depressive symptoms through the doubts dimension of maternal ambivalence (β = -0.057, p = 0.005). Physical support was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (p > 0.05). The model explained 25.2% of the variance in postpartum depressive symptoms (R² = 0.252). These findings suggest that emotional and social dimensions of partner support are associated with lower postpartum depressive symptom levels, both directly and through specific pathways involving sleep quality and maternal ambivalence. However, the findings should be interpreted within the context of a cross-sectional design and the early postpartum assessment period.

Parenting and Child Correlates of Maternal Burnout.

Parental burnout, or feelings of exhaustion, overwhelm, ineffectiveness, and emotional distancing within the role of a parent, is a common condition among many parents who face high demands of parenting with few resources and support. The current study examined if parental burnout was associated with child development outcomes, and if these associations were mediated by parenting practices. 405 mothers from the United States of America with a child between the ages of 6 and 12 years participated in an online survey consisting of measures of parental burnout, positive and negative parenting practices, and socioemotional and behavioral assessments of their child. Results indicated that greater parental burnout was significantly associated with less positive and more negative parenting practices, and lower levels of children's social, emotional, and behavioral competency. Moreover, positive parenting practices partially mediated the association between burnout and child's social competence, autonomy, emotion regulation, closeness, and prosocial behaviors. Negative parenting practices partially mediated the association between burnout and child's autonomy, compliance, negativity, emotion regulation, conflict, closeness, and externalizing. Although the results are cross-sectional, they may indicate possible deleterious effects parental burnout can have on children. Practitioners, clinicians, and policymakers should use this information to better support parents and families.

The independent protective role of paternal involvement in the association between maternal containment and depressive symptoms in children aged 3-6

Aims: This study examined the relationship between maternal containment function and depressive symptoms in children aged 3-6 years, with particular attention to the independent protective role of paternal involvement.Methods: The sample consisted of 386 mother–father dyads whose children were clinically referred to an outpatient child psychiatry clinic in İstanbul due to early emotional and behavioral distress. Child depressive symptoms were measured using the Child Depression Symptom Scale (CDSS), maternal containment was assessed using the Parental Containment Function Scale (PCFS), and paternal involvement was assessed using the Father Involvement Scale (FIS). Data were analyzed using non parametric tests, Spearman correlations (ρ), and bootstrapped mediation analyses. Results: Higher levels of maladaptive maternal containment (e.g., separation sensitivity, authoritarian–rigid parenting) demonstrated a significant positive association with increased depressive symptoms in children. In contrast, greater paternal involvement, particularly discretionary engagement and affection–closeness, was negatively associated with child depressive symptoms. Mediation analyses indicated that although paternal involvement contributed to lower depressive symptoms as an independent protective system, it did not significantly mediate the relationship between maternal containment and child depression. Conclusion: Maternal containment and paternal involvement operate as distinct, parallel family systems that contribute to early childhood emotional development. Interventions should address both the maternal containment function and the independent protective resource of father involvement.

Parenting stress and its relation to mothers' characteristics and children's age

This study examines how intolerance of uncertainty, optimism, depression and anxiety, parental self‐efficacy, and perceived family support predict parenting stress among Israeli mothers of children aged 0 to 5 and 6 to 17. Literature indicates inconclusive findings regarding differences in stress among parents of children across age groups. The present study examines a comprehensive model of the interplay between parent characteristics and family social context in explaining parenting stress within a heightened stress environment. This model is compared across different child age groups. A cross‐sectional survey of 403 Israeli mothers was conducted during active conflict. Correlational analyses and multigroup structural equation modeling assessed predictors of parenting stress and differences by child age group. Parenting stress was positively associated with intolerance of uncertainty and psychological distress, and negatively with optimism, parental self‐efficacy, and perceived family support. Psychological distress more strongly undermined self‐efficacy and family support among mothers of younger children, while optimism was more protective for mothers of older children. The differential effects across children's age groups reveal a complex web of relationships contributing to parenting stress at different age groups. Interventions should enhance parental self‐efficacy and family support tailored to the child's age.