Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40468380›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2025

Parental emotional adjustment as a primary target for parenting programs: a cross-sectional study.

Haley M LaMonica, Victoria Loblay, Qaisar Khan, Gabrielle Hindmarsh, Yun J C Song, Mahalakshmi Ekambareshwar, Laura Ospina-Pinillos, Ian B Hickie

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Haley M LaMonicaBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. haley.lamonica@sydney.edu.au.
Victoria LoblayBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Qaisar KhanBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Gabrielle HindmarshBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Yun J C SongBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Mahalakshmi EkambareshwarBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Laura Ospina-PinillosDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia.
Ian B HickieBrain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council GNT2016346
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundParental emotional adjustment refers to the degree of distress associated with the parenting role and can be correlated with increased use of negative parenting practices. Parenting programs are a critical strategy globally to help ensure children reach their full developmental potential; however, their effects on parental mental health outcomes are inconsistent.

methodsCross-sectional self-report survey data from mothers, fathers, and caregivers (e.g., grandmother) from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan were analysed to explore: (1) the relative contributions of parental adjustment on parenting practices as measured by the Parenting and Family Adjustment Scales, and (2) differences in parenting practices across diverse contexts. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the sample. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between parental adjustment and parenting generally and parental consistency, coercive parenting, positive encouragement, and behaviours supporting the parent-child relationship specifically.

resultsA total of 642 participants (mean age = 33.2 years; 79% female; 89.9% partnered) from Afghanistan (n = 111), Indonesia (n = 157), Kyrgyzstan (n = 118), Malaysia (n = 103), and Uzbekistan (n = 153) completed the survey. Results showed that parental adjustment was significantly positively associated with parenting practices, explaining 5.9% of the unique variance. Specifically, better parental adjustment was significantly positively associated with the use of positive parenting practices, including praise, attention, affection, and displays of pride, but not significantly associated with negative parenting practices such as spanking, shouting, and getting angry with children. Finally, significant differences in parental consistency, coercive parenting, positive encouragement, and parenting practices supporting the parent-child relationship were found across the five LMICs.

conclusionsA robust literature demonstrates the importance of supporting parents' mental health and emotional adjustment to improve both parent and child outcomes. Our results highlight that better emotional adjustment is associated with more positive parenting practices, suggesting that interventions that support a parent's ability to cope with the parenting role will increase the use of responsive and nurturing childrearing practices. However, further research is now required to understand how best to integrate mental health-related content with other key intervention material (e.g., training in responsive caregiving), including with regards to the optimal 'dose' of each component, to optimise effectiveness.

Indexed as

Emotional AdjustmentParent-Child RelationsParentingParentsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultEarly child developmentEmotional adjustmentLow- and middle-income countriesMental healthNurturing careParenting

Identifiers

PMID40468380
PMCPMC12135328

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.