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The Influence of Mothers' and Fathers' Parenting Stress and Depressive Symptoms on Own and Partner's Parent‐Child Communication
Author(s) -
Ponnet Koen,
Wouters Edwin,
Mortelmans Dimitri,
Pasteels Inge,
De Backer Charlotte,
Van Leeuwen Karla,
Van Hiel Alain
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12001
Subject(s) - psychology , partner effects , feeling , depressive symptoms , developmental psychology , fragile families and child wellbeing study , clinical psychology , social psychology , psychiatry , anxiety
This study examines how parenting stress and depressive symptoms experienced by mothers and fathers influence their own (actor effects) and the partner's (partner effects) parent–child communication. Based on the A ctor‐ P artner I nterdependence M odel, data from 196 families were analyzed, with both parents rating their parenting stress and depressive feelings, and parents as well as children rating the open parent–child communication. Actor effects were found between parenting stress and open parent–child communication, whereas partner effects were prominent between depressive symptoms and open parent–child communication. The results provide no evidence for gender differences in the strength of the pathways to open parent–child communication. Our findings demonstrate the need to include both parents in studies on parent–child communication to enhance our understanding of the mutual influence among family members.