title: The influence of mothers' and fathers' parenting stress and depressive symptoms on own and partner's parent-child communication.
abstract: 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 Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, 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.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Koen.Ponnet@ua.ac
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ponnet
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mortelmans
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pasteels
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Backer
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Leeuwen
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Hiel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*