Parenting

Experiencing harsh parenting, like yelling or physical harm, in childhood is linked to developing undesirable "Dark Tetrad" personality traits in adulthood, a new study reveals.

Parents and childfree adults showed similar midlife well-being, except when childfree adults had prioritized parenthood earlier in life but did not have children; these individuals experienced lower well-being. Goal adjustment improved satisfaction.

Fathers with higher alexithymia and greater testosterone increases during a stressful parenting task showed lower coparenting quality, which predicted fewer prosocial behaviors in their children at age two. This effect was only observed in fathers with at least moderate testosterone...

Higher attachment avoidance in parents correlated with lower sexual satisfaction for themselves. Notably, fathers' attachment avoidance also reduced mothers' sexual satisfaction. However, increased parenting stress in fathers weakened this negative impact, suggesting stress might overshadow attachment issues in high-stress parenting.

Middle children tend to be slightly more cooperative and honest, while only children are more creative. Larger families foster higher levels of humility and agreeableness, but these personality differences are small.

A recent study found that harsh parenting, both moderate and severe, is linked to worse emotion regulation, lower self-esteem, fewer prosocial behaviors, and more peer relationship problems in children by age 18.

Men’s emotional support networks shrink by 50% from ages 30 to 90, with early parental warmth predicting larger networks. Marriage consolidates support to spouses, while retirement has no effect, highlighting aging's impact on socioemotional connections.

Pregnancy causes temporary gray matter reductions in brain areas linked to social cognition, followed by partial recovery postpartum. These changes, driven by hormonal shifts, are linked to improved maternal attachment and mental well-being during motherhood.

A recent study suggests that humor strengthens parent-child bonds, helps manage conflicts, and promotes positive interactions. Most participants viewed humor as a valuable parenting tool, linking it to better relationships and expressing interest in humor-focused parenting courses.

Mothers with postpartum depression provide fewer supportive responses to their infants’ positive emotions, which increases toddlers’ depressive symptoms, highlighting maternal socialization as a key mechanism in intergenerational depression transmission.

American parents see spanking as a form of hitting but less severe, with 30% finding it acceptable for children, compared to 17% for pets. One-third reconsidered spanking after comparing it to other family violence.

Parents who use food to manage their child’s emotions or behavior may harm their child’s ability to regulate emotions, leading to emotional overeating.

A recent study emphasizes the importance of mental health before fatherhood, revealing that men with better pre-conception wellbeing are less likely to experience postnatal depression.

Positive sibling relationships in childhood and frequent contact with siblings in adulthood are linked to better cognitive health in old age, according to new research.

Some children’s challenging behaviors may stem from sensory processing issues, where their brains struggle to manage sensory input. Understanding these difficulties can improve daily life through tailored support and guidance from occupational therapists.