Parenting

A new nine-year study from China supports a central idea in attachment theory: early maternal sensitivity helps shape secure attachment. Researchers found that children with more responsive mothers developed stronger expectations of caregiver support by age 10.

A new brain imaging study finds that adolescents with highly anxiety-sensitive parents show distinct neural responses during emotional tasks. The findings suggest that parent traits may shape how children attend to and manage emotional experiences, potentially influencing future mental health.

New research shows that infants carried in chest carriers had lower stress levels and slept longer than those in strollers. The study also found that mothers felt less stressed indoors, suggesting differences in how environments and closeness affect parent-infant well-being.

A new study finds fathers with higher education and income have more supportive, less controlling relationships with their daughters. Daughters who feel attractive also report stronger, more protective bonds with their fathers.

A staggering one in four children in the U.S.—nearly 19 million total—now lives with a parent battling a substance use disorder. A new study reveals the dramatic scale of this crisis, which has grown by millions in just a few...

New research finds a link between how adults recall being parented and their current life difficulties. These challenges may be partly explained by personality traits, such as lower conscientiousness, that are connected to early family environments and adult well-being.

A new CDC study reveals a stark reality: over one in four teens live with a parent struggling with mental illness. These kids are often invisible and confused. Here are seven expert tips for talking to your children with honesty...

A new study shows that when mothers experience hostile conflict with their partner, they may feel less emotionally secure—an effect that predicts harsher discipline toward their children. Fathers showed no similar pattern in parenting behavior.

Parental bonding may influence happiness well into adulthood, according to a new study. Italian researchers found that overprotective parenting predicted greater anxiety, while caring parenting supported healthier anger control—both of which played roles in shaping overall life satisfaction.

Mothers who were maltreated as children are more likely to develop anxious romantic attachment styles, which in turn are linked to lower parenting satisfaction and efficacy, according to a study.

From shaping kids’ math confidence to influencing adult relationships and mental health, new research highlights just how deeply fathers impact their children’s lives. These nine studies reveal the often-overlooked power of paternal presence—and absence.

Researchers found that when caregivers sing more often to their infants, babies become noticeably happier over time. The randomized trial used real-time mood tracking and showed that even a brief music enrichment intervention can shape emotional development in infancy.

A new study suggests that mothers who favor social hierarchies and obedience to authority use less perspective-taking language with their children—especially when discussing people from different ethnic backgrounds. Their children also show weaker ability to understand others’ thoughts and feelings.

A new study using nationwide data from China finds that when mothers dominate educational decisions, children tend to perform better academically—but show weaker non-cognitive skills, such as emotional regulation and social traits.

A recent study suggests that childhood trauma doesn’t end with the individual—it can influence the next generation. Maternal adversity was linked to children’s conduct, emotions, and cognition through economic strain, depression, relationship conflict, and parenting behavior.