Paternal Influence on the Developmental Pathways of Maternal Parenting Stress, Home Learning Stimulation, and Children’s Social Skills in the U.S. and Korea: A Moderated Mediation Model1

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-372
Author(s):  
Jaehee Kim ◽  
Jiwon Lee

To increase the specificity in paternal influence as the importance caregiving context on mothers and children, we aimed to test 1) whether the mediation effect of maternal parenting stress at age 3 on children’s social skills at age 9 via home learning stimulation at age 5 was significant; 2) whether this mediation effect varied according to paternal involvement and depression at age 3; and 3) whether this proposed path was culturally generalizable. To examine causal pathways and compare differences between two cultures, we analyzed the proposed moderated mediation models using nationally representative longitudinal data from the U.S. (the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study) and Korea (the Panel Study on Korean Children) using SPSS 25 and PROCESS. We found that in both countries, higher maternal parenting stress at age 3 hindered the development of school-aged children’s social skills through lower levels of home-learning stimulation. We also found cultural differences: paternal involvement significantly buffered the negative effects of maternal parenting stress in Korea, while paternal mental health (i.e., non-depression) played that buffering role in the U.S. This study illustrates both the cross-cultural generalizability and culture-specific aspects of family processes, then discusses some theoretical implications and potential practices that would better support families in promoting their children’s social development.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 328-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Wright ◽  
Yunfeng Huang ◽  
Qin Hui ◽  
Kevin Newhall ◽  
Cindy Crusto ◽  
...  

IntroductionGeneral life stress has been associated with altered DNA methylation in individuals of African Ancestry, although the relationship between parenting stress and DNA methylation has not been described. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal parenting stress and DNA methylation among African Ancestry mother-child dyads.MethodsWe evaluated epigenome-wide DNA methylation relative to parenting stress in 74 mother-child dyads using linear mixed models.ResultsSignificant variation in maternal DNA methylation at 95 CpG sites was associated with level of parenting stress. Notably, we identified a change in DNA methylation associated with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, which plays a key role in stress signaling. We did not identify any significant variation in child DNA methylation related to maternal parenting stress.ConclusionsHowever, DNA methylation patterns observed in children mirrored patterns observed in their mothers. The results suggest that differential maternal DNA methylation is associated with higher levels of parenting stress.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110562
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Flannery ◽  
Samantha R. Awada ◽  
Elizabeth C. Shelleby

Extant research demonstrates associations between parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing problems, with evidence that parenting behaviors may mediate these associations; however, few studies have been longitudinal. The current study tested whether harsh and positive parenting mediated associations between maternal parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing problems. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were utilized, with 2,606 families who completed the year nine wave included (37% less than high school; 60.2% married/cohabitating; 50% Black, non-Hispanic; 24% Hispanic; and 26% White, non-Hispanic). Analyses revealed parenting stress at age three was significantly associated with higher child internalizing and externalizing problems at age nine. Further, positive but not harsh parenting mediated the link between parenting stress and externalizing problems. Parenting did not mediate the association between parenting stress and internalizing problems. Findings suggest harsh and positive parenting differentially explains associations between parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing problems.


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