BACKGROUND: Studies have revealed that Children\'s psychological, behavioral, and emotional problems are easily influenced by the family environment. In recent years, the family structure in China has undergone significant changes, with more families having two or three children.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between emotional behavior and parental job stress in only preschool and non-only preschool children.
METHODS: Children aged 3-6 in kindergartens in four main urban areas of Shijiazhuang were selected by stratified sampling for a questionnaire and divided into only and non-only child groups. Their emotional behaviors and parental pressure were compared. Only and non-only children were paired in a 1:1 ratio by class and age (difference less than or equal to 6 months), and the matched data were compared. The relationship between children\'s emotional behavior and parents\' job stress before and after matching was analyzed.
RESULTS: Before matching, the mother\'s occupation, children\'s personality characteristics, and children\'s rearing patterns differed between the groups (P < 0.05). After matching 550 pairs, differences in the children\'s parenting styles remained. There were significant differences in children\'s gender and parents\' attitudes toward children between the two groups. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores of children in the only child group and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) scores of parents were significantly lower than those in the non-only child group (P < 0.05). Pearson\'s correlation analysis showed that after matching, there was a positive correlation between children\'s parenting style and parents\' attitudes toward their children (r = 0.096, P < 0.01), and the PSI-SF score was positively correlated with children\'s gender, parents\' attitudes toward their children, and SDQ scores (r = 0.077, 0.193, 0.172, 0.222).
CONCLUSIONS: Preschool children\'s emotional behavior and parental pressure were significantly higher in multi-child families. Parental pressure in differently structured families was associated with many factors, and preschool children\'s emotional behavior was positively correlated with parental pressure.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes in family routines and introduced new stressors for parents. While stressors can lead to parental burnout, coparenting support may mitigate the effects of parental stress on parental burnout. The current study explored the effects of parental stress, COVID-19 stress, and coparenting support on parental burnout during the second year of the pandemic. Participants consisted of one hundred fifty-five parents in the USA (M = 39.6, SD = 7.38; female = 94.8%). Results suggested parental stress was positively associated with parental burnout while coparenting support was negatively associated with parental burnout. These findings highlight the importance of addressing parental stress and support to minimize the risk of parental burnout.

Parent-child shared experiences has an important influence on social development in children although contributions of mothers and fathers may differ. Neural synchronicity occurs between mothers and fathers and their children during social interactions but it is unclear whether they differ in this respect. We used data from simultaneous fNIRS hyperscanning in mothers (n = 33) and fathers (n = 29) and their children (3-4 years) to determine different patterns and strengths of neural synchronization in the frontal cortex during co-viewing of videos or free-play. Mothers showed greater synchrony with child than fathers during passive viewing of videos and the synchronization was positively associated with video complexity and negatively associated with parental stress. During play interactions, mothers showed more controlling behaviors over their child and greater evidence for joint gaze and joint imitation play with child whereas fathers spent more time gazing at other things. In addition, different aspects of child communication promoted neural synchrony between mothers and fathers and child during active play interactions. Overall, our findings indicate greater neural and behavioral synchrony between mothers than fathers and young children during passive or active shared experiences, although for both it was weakened by parental distress and child difficulty.

UNASSIGNED: This systematic review aimed to identify the risk factors and protective factors for parental stress in families with children with special educational needs. Studies have indicated that the wellbeing of families is related to the physical, psychological, and social conditions of the children, as well as the family functioning, stress coping strategies, and social and professional support of their parents. The parents of children with special educational needs experience high levels of parental stress. Identifying the associated risk factors and protective factors may shed light on the provision of interventions to promote the mental wellbeing of these parents.
UNASSIGNED: Boolean operators were used to search multiple online databases, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied in this systematic review. Data were extracted into categories of population, age, region, the child\'s diagnosis, the stress-measuring instrument, and the risk factors and protective factors.
UNASSIGNED: Twenty-six studies, including 5,169 parents and 3,726 children, were reviewed. The following four major risk factors and protective factors were found to be associated with parental stress: the sex of the parents, diagnosis-related coping issues, socioeconomic characteristics, and social isolation of the parents.
UNASSIGNED: This systematic review identified four significant risk factors and protective factors related to social support from couples, family members, and social circles. Various agencies may provide financial and manpower assistance and professional support and services to improve the parents\' knowledge and coping skills, as well as affectional support, early screening, and continuous assessment of the parents\' progress. Social policies and interventions offering continuous and diagnosis-related support to the parents of children with special educational needs are highly recommended.

Infant massage enhances the growth and development of premature infants and promotes parent-child bonding. However, its effects on parental stress and parent-child attachment in premature infants, as well as gender differences thereof, remain unclear. In this randomized controlled trial, we used a repeated-measures design and included 61 premature infants (mean gestational age: 35.1 ± 1.5 weeks). Weight, parental stress, and parent-child attachment were measured at multiple time points: before massage and 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after commencing infant massage. The results revealed that the massage group infants had significantly higher weight gain than the control (no massage) group infants at all four time points. Moreover, parents in the massage group reported notably lower levels of stress than those in the control group, particularly in the parental distress and difficult children subscales. No significant between-group differences were observed in parent-child attachment. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between fathers and mothers in parental stress and parent-child attachment. However, fathers reported higher levels of distress than mothers at 4 and 12 weeks. In conclusion, infant massage led to increased infant weight and reduced parental stress over time, and differences between fathers and mothers were not significant, except fathers exhibiting higher levels of distress than mothers over time. Healthcare professionals should educate and support parents on infant massage before discharge of premature infants.

UNASSIGNED: Parental stress among primary caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a significant concern. While previous research indicates that both family and child factors substantially influence parental stress, a few studies have comprehensively examined these factors from family, parent, and child perspectives. Moreover, the psychological mechanisms underlying parental stress remain underexplored.
UNASSIGNED: This study obtained a valid sample of 478 primary caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD in China and employed mediation and moderated mediation analyses to investigate the relationships between family adaptability and cohesion (FAC), ASD severity, parental self-efficacy, and parental stress.
UNASSIGNED: Results revealed that higher FAC was linked to reduced parental stress through increased parental self-efficacy. The indirect effect of parental self-efficacy was more substantial for caregivers of children with severe symptoms than those with mild symptoms.
UNASSIGNED: These findings offer insights into how FAC influences parental stress and underscore the importance of parental self-efficacy as a coping resource for mitigating parental stress. This study provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for understanding and addressing parental stress, particularly in families raising children with ASD.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between children\'s reported symptom burden and their parents\' quality of life, and whether parents\' perceived stress mediates this relationship.
this was a cross-sectional quantitative research study. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 80 pairs of parents and their children with cancer. Advanced statistical methods were used to analyse the mediating effects of parental stress between children\'s symptom burden and parents\' quality of life.
The results showed that parental stress was the mediator in the relationship between children\'s reported symptom burden and their parents\' quality of life.
Symptom burden was prevalent in Chinese children with cancer living in the community. Children\'s symptom burden is an important factor in predicting parental stress level, which simultaneously and directly lower parents\' quality of life. The evidence in this study enlarges the knowledge base about the mediating effect of parental stress on the association between the symptom burden of children with cancer and their parents\' quality of life. This evidence is crucial in paving the way for the development of interventions that improve the parental quality of life through stress-reduction programs.

To explore the impact of poverty on parent-child relationships, parental stress and parenting practices.
A mixed methods study.
Four hundred and eighty five Hong Kong Chinese parents who had children aged 3-6 years, and who were from low-income families. Eleven of these parents were randomly selected for individual semi-structured interviews.
A sociodemographic questionnaire, the parent-child relationship score, the Parental Stress Scale and the Perceived Parental Aggression Scale.
The parents were found to have an impaired relationship with their children. The findings indicated that employment status, parental stress and harsh parenting were significantly associated with parent-child relationships. The qualitative findings revealed that parents from low-income families encountered a wide range of difficulties, which made these parents more likely to experience parental stress, thereby increasing their tendency to adopt harsh parenting practices that undermined parent-child relationships.
This study sheds light on the associations between parent-child relationships, parental stress and parenting practices in low-income families. These findings will enhance nurses\' understanding of the impact of poverty on parent-child relationships, and highlight the need for nurses to ensure that underprivileged parents and their children receive adequate primary care to prevent the development of psychological problems in this vulnerable group.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, with social distancing measures in place and a decrease in social activities, emotional states are more likely to be transferred between family members via increased interactions and communication. However, longitudinal evidence, particularly for early adolescents, is lacking. This study investigated family pre-pandemic influences on parental stress and adolescent psychosocial wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 233 adolescents and their parents before and during the initial phase of the pandemic. Parents reported their own stress level and perception of adolescent adjustment problems, whereas adolescents reported their own psychological distress level. In addition, adolescents also reported their satisfaction with family life in the pre-pandemic survey. Cross-lagged path models indicated reciprocal associations between parental stress and perception of adolescent adjustment problems. Compared to adolescents low in pre-pandemic family life satisfaction, those adolescents with higher levels of family life satisfaction before the pandemic reported lower levels of anxiety and stress only when parental stress showed no increase during the pandemic. Findings provide support for the mutual influences between parental stress and perceived adolescent adjustment problems during the pandemic. Special attention should be paid to those adolescents who undergo significant family life changes during the pandemic.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) usually onsets in childhood or adolescence and is associated with brain development and chronic family stress during this period. As an information hub, the thalamus plays a crucial role in the development of emotion processing and stress regulation. Its structural and functional lateralization have been related to mental disorders. This study examined the age-dependent asymmetry of the thalamic volume in children and adolescents with SAD. We further examined the role of the thalamic asymmetry in moderating the relationships between parental alienation, which is a main source of familial stress for children and adolescents, and anxiety symptoms in this population. Fifty-three medication-free children and adolescents with SAD and 53 typical developing controls (age: 8-17) were included. Anxiety severity was measured using the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). We estimated the bilateral thalamic volume and examined diagnosis effect and age-group difference on the thalamic asymmetry. We further examined the moderation of the thalamic asymmetry on the associations between scores on the parental alienation, social phobia, and total SCARED. Compared with controls, the SAD group exhibited significantly abnormal asymmetry in thalamic volume. This asymmetry became more evident in the older age group. Furthermore, this asymmetry significantly weakened the relationships between parental attachment and total SCARED score. The asymmetry of the thalamic volume and its age-group difference provide novel evidence to support brain developmental abnormalities in children and adolescents with SAD. The findings further revealed interactions between physiological and chronic stress in children and adolescents with SAD. This article is part of the special issue on \'Stress, Addiction and Plasticity\'.