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Children
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Parents and Children Relationships: Protective and Risk Factors
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Parents and Children Relationships: Protective and Risk Factors

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3950

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mara Morelli

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Guest Editor
Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: developmental psychology; online risky behaviors during adolescence; parent-child relationships
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Elena Cattelino

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Guest Editor
Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Aosta Valley, 11100 Aosta, Italy
Interests: developmental psychology; risk and protective factors in adolescence; parent-child relationships
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carmen Trumello

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy
Interests: developmental psychology; parenting; adolescent research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The emergence of unprecedented events in recent years, such as pandemics, wars, sudden climate changes, and more, has significantly impacted the daily lives of families, particularly children and adolescents. As highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020), negative consequences on psychological well-being emphasize the need for increased investment in mental health services and family support. This urgency is particularly pronounced for children and adolescents, who, in recent years, have shown an increase in signs of mental illness, including anxiety, emotional disturbances, and behavioral disorders. Understanding the protective and risk factors is crucial for comprehending the emotional challenges faced by children and adolescents, especially those exacerbated by family stress, social isolation, and all those traumatic situations occurring in critical moments of their emotional development.

Previous studies on the psychological consequences of traumatic events reveal enduring effects on children's psychological well-being, with some mental disorders reported six months after the causative incident. Additionally, understanding the psychological impact of traumatic events on children, adolescents, and parents can aid families in addressing potential future challenges.

This Special Issue, dedicated to examining the impact of various events on the parent-child relationship and the associated risk and protective factors, is open both quantitative and qualitative research aimed at enhancing current knowledge of the short- and long-term impact of these challenging events on families, children, and adolescents. Longitudinal studies are particularly encouraged, as an improved understanding of the enduring effects on the parent-child relationship may significantly contribute to shaping future research directions and potential intervention strategies.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IJERPH.

Prof. Dr. Mara Morelli
Prof. Dr. Elena Cattelino
Dr. Carmen Trumello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • parent-child relationships
  • emotional development
  • parents
  • children
  • adolescents
  • family
  • developmental and clinical psychology
  • traumatic events
  • protective and risk factors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 408 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Children’s Discrimination Experiences on Parents’ Mental and Self-Rated Health: Results from the National Health Interview Survey
by Elizabeth Jelsma, Nema Kebbeh and Mahnoor Ahmad
Children 2024, 11(7), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070830 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 729
Abstract
Background: This study assessed the associations between children’s experiences of discrimination based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity and their parents’ anxiety, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health. Methods: Our sample included 3910 parents with at least one child between 12 and 17 years [...] Read more.
Background: This study assessed the associations between children’s experiences of discrimination based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity and their parents’ anxiety, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health. Methods: Our sample included 3910 parents with at least one child between 12 and 17 years of age. Data were pooled from the 2021 and 2022 waves of the National Health Interview Survey. Path analysis with maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and bootstrapping were used to examine the indirect pathways from child-experienced discrimination to parental self-rated health through parental anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: Child-experienced discrimination based on race/ethnicity was associated with worse parental self-rated health via pathways through higher parental anxiety (p = 0.003) and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Child-experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity was also associated with worse parental self-rated health via pathways through higher parental anxiety (p = 0.002) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The results show a strong association between children’s experiences of discrimination and parental self-rated health through pathways of poor parental mental health. Findings demonstrate the need to reduce discrimination directed at children and to facilitate mental health support for parents of children experiencing discrimination to improve family well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parents and Children Relationships: Protective and Risk Factors)
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23 pages, 347 KiB  
Article
Families Facing Pandemic Modifications of Everyday Life: A Mixed Study on Mothers’ and Children’s Emotional Reactions and Regulation Strategies
by Giulia Carlotta Guerra, Odette Nardozza, Alessandra Frigerio, Maria Concetta Garito, Silvia Ponzetti, Ilenia Passaquindici, Mirco Fasolo, Maria Spinelli and Francesca Lionetti
Children 2023, 10(10), 1627; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10101627 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1288
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many enduring changes in the everyday life of families, with negative effects on parents’ and children’s wellbeing. However, there is a lack of studies in the literature exploring the emotional reactions and coping strategies of both mothers and children [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many enduring changes in the everyday life of families, with negative effects on parents’ and children’s wellbeing. However, there is a lack of studies in the literature exploring the emotional reactions and coping strategies of both mothers and children of different ages. Furthermore, most studies used only self-reports. This study aimed to identify the emotions and coping strategies of children, adolescents and their mothers and to verify the association between maternal and child wellbeing. A mixed-method design using interviews and questionnaires was applied to collect information on wellbeing (emotional reactions, behavioral/emotional problems) and coping strategies of both mothers (n = 65; M age = 42.17; SD = 4.40; M age = 41.63; SD = 4.48), and their children (n = 35, 8–10 year; n = 30, 11–13 year) during the second wave of the pandemic (December 2020). No differences between the groups emerged concerning the emotional reactions reported. In contrast, mothers and children of different ages reported different self-regulation and other-regulation strategies. Moreover, maternal strategies had different effects on children’s wellbeing. The integration of qualitative and quantitative results was informative to understand how families adapted to the radical changes of everyday life related to the pandemic. The implications for developing interventions in such similar stressful situations to promote family wellbeing are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parents and Children Relationships: Protective and Risk Factors)
17 pages, 749 KiB  
Article
Psychological Difficulties in Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Effects of Spending Free Time with Parents or Using Digital Devices
by Anna Di Norcia, Chiara Mascaro, Dora Bianchi, Eleonora Cannoni, Giordana Szpunar and Fiorenzo Laghi
Children 2023, 10(8), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081349 - 4 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1289
Abstract
The present study investigated protective and risk factors for psychological difficulties in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically, the role of increased use of digital devices (DDs) for recreational purposes and the role of free time spent with parents were explored. [...] Read more.
The present study investigated protective and risk factors for psychological difficulties in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically, the role of increased use of digital devices (DDs) for recreational purposes and the role of free time spent with parents were explored. Furthermore, the possible mediating effect of increased use of DDs in the relationship between free time spent with parents and psychological difficulties was tested. Participants were 4412 Italian children and adolescents, divided into two groups: children aged 6–10 years (n = 2248) and adolescents aged 11–18 years (n = 2164). Data were collected in Italy during the national lockdown and questionnaires were completed online by parents, who reported on their children’s habits. The daily use of DDs increased significantly during the lockdown compared to the previous period, in both children and adolescents. Additionally, psychological difficulties increased in both children and adolescents during the lockdown, with a more severe impairment for children. Increased use of DDs during the lockdown positively predicted psychological difficulties (children: beta = 0.18, p < 0.001; adolescents: beta = 0.13, p < 0.001), while free time spent with parents was protective (children: beta = −13, p < 0.001; adolescents: beta = −0.12, p < 0.001). For children (but not adolescents), increased use of DDs mediated the effects of free time spent with parents on psychological difficulties (children: beta = −0.01, 95% CI [−0.018, −0.002]; adolescents: beta = −0.003, 95% CI [−0.009, 0.003]). The findings provide new insights for education and research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parents and Children Relationships: Protective and Risk Factors)
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