BACKGROUND: Adolescents raised in families with different maternal and paternal parenting combinations exhibit variations in neurocognition and psychopathology; however, whether neural differences exist remains unexplored. This study used a longitudinal twin sample to delineate how different parenting combinations influence adolescent brain structure and to elucidate the genetic contribution.
METHODS: A cohort of 216 twins participated in parenting assessments during early adolescence and underwent magnetic resonance imaging scanning during middle adolescence. We utilized latent profile analysis to distinguish between various maternal and paternal parenting profiles and subsequently investigated their influences on brain anatomy. Biometric analysis was applied to assess genetic influences on brain structure, and associations with internalizing symptoms were explored.
RESULTS: In early adolescence, 4 parenting profiles emerged, which were characterized by levels of harshness and hostility in one or both parents. Compared with adolescents in \"catparent\" families (low harshness/hostility in both parents), those raised in \"tigermom\" families (harsh/hostile mother only) exhibited a smaller nucleus accumbens volume and larger temporal cortex surface area; those in \"tigerdad\" families demonstrated larger thalamus volumes; and those in \"tigerparent\" families displayed smaller volumes in the midanterior corpus callosum. Genetic risk factors contributed significantly to the observed brain structural heterogeneity and internalizing symptoms. However, the influences of parenting profiles and brain structure on internalizing symptoms were not significant.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore distinct brain structural features linked to maternal and paternal parenting combinations, particularly in terms of subcortical volume and cortical surface area. This study suggests an interdependent role of maternal and paternal parenting in shaping adolescent neurodevelopment.

Given the increasing importance of early childhood teachers, this study aims to identify whether past maternal parenting is related to burnout through the double mediation of teacher self-compassion and teacher efficacy, using model comparison. To this end, a survey was conducted with 329 early childhood teachers in Korea. The positive maternal parenting perceived by teachers was negatively related to burnout through teachers\' self-compassion and efficacy. Positive maternal parenting reduced burnout by increasing self-compassion and consequently teacher efficacy. Teachers\' self-compassion was more closely related to burnout than teacher efficacy, which was treated as an important variable in relation to teachers. These results suggest that early childhood teachers\' self-compassion is a significant variable in relation to burnout and suggestions are provided for specific support programs to promote teacher self-compassion.

The past decade of studies showed that parenting behaviors (e.g., warmth, autonomy, and control) were associated with children\'s executive functions (EF) in the early years. However, different measurement methods had been used across studies, making it hard to compare the effects of parenting on EF across studies. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effect of the measurement methods on the relationship between maternal parenting behaviors and children\'s EF among a group of Chinese preschoolers. One hundred and twenty-six children (62 boys; Mage = 48.65 months) were assessed with direct measures on children\'s EF (inhibition and working memory tasks), and parenting behaviors of their mothers during interaction with children were observed and coded. Mothers also reported their parenting practices and children\'s difficulties in executive functions. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the latent performance-based EF was uniquely predicted by maternal positive control and negative control in mother-child interaction, while children\'s EF difficulties reported by mothers were predicted by mother-reported warmth and support, and autonomy granting. Overall, the results suggest that the relationship between maternal parenting and children\'s EF depends on the measurement methods of parenting and executive functions.

This study examined how parental autonomy support and control are conceptualized by adolescents in Hong Kong (Grades 7-11) using the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale. Competitive models were evaluated using confirmatory factor analyses. Although the 6-factor model demonstrated the best fit, further analyses indicated that a second-order structure was more appropriate. Provision of choice, acknowledgment of child\'s feelings, rationale for rules, and demands subsumed under autonomy support. Guilt-inducing criticisms and the use of threats subsumed under control. Performance pressure emerged as a first-order construct on its own. Measurement invariance was evident across adolescent gender and age. All subscales had adequate to strong reliability. Discriminate validity was evident. Findings offer insights into the conceptualization of autonomy support and control in Hong Kong.

Smartphone addiction bodes adverse consequences, affecting different populations, including medical students. Parental bonding in childhood had been associated with addiction and recovery in later life. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the associations between parental bonding and smartphone addiction among Chinese medical students.
Binary logistic regressions were used to investigate the associations between parental bonding with mothers and fathers, respectively, and smartphone addiction. Interaction terms of care and protection were included in the models.
A total of 517 medical students were included in the study. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 48.16% (n = 249). The estimated effects of maternal and paternal parenting on smartphone addiction differed. Maternal protection was positively associated with smartphone addiction (OR, 1.046;95% CI, 1.005-1.087), and maternal care enhanced the estimated effect of protection on smartphone addiction. Paternal care was negatively associated with smartphone addiction (OR, 0.954;95% CI, 0.919-0.989).
Chinese medical students with overprotective mothers or with indifferent fathers tended to exhibit traits of smartphone addiction. Further studies on factors influencing the associations between parental bonding and smartphone addiction may pave the way for potential family-oriented interventions for smartphone addiction.

Substantial literature investigating the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms has primarily focused on mothers and adolescents, whereas less is known about the potential role of fathers, especially their parenting behaviors. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the mediating role of maternal parenting, and the moderating role of paternal parenting in this intergenerational transmission pathway. A total of 528 Chinese community adolescents (Mage = 12.70 ± 1.49 years; 48.7%, girls) and their mothers participated. After adolescent sex, age, maternal educational levels, and monthly household income were controlled for, both maternal warmth and rejection mediated the association between maternal and adolescent depressive symptoms. More importantly, paternal warmth buffered the adverse effect of maternal depressive symptoms and maternal rejection on adolescent depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the buffering role of paternal parenting in blocking the intergenerational transmission risk of depressive symptoms from mothers to adolescents and emphasize the need for father-focused interventions.

The relationship between maternal parenting and the prosocial behavior of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was tested cross-sectionally (Study 1) and longitudinally (Study 2). In Study 1, maternal prosocial behavior was moderately associated with child behavior, and maternal positive parenting completely mediated this relationship. In Study 2, we found that the association between guidance (T1) and maternal prosocial behavior (T2) was significant, as were the longitudinal and mutual associations between high control and child prosocial behavior. However, a mediating effect of any component of parenting was not found in the longitudinal data. These results suggest an important role for maternal parenting in the development of prosocial behavior in children with ASD.

This meta-analysis study examined perceived parental differences between Chinese mothers and fathers from the perspective of adolescents. A systematic search for relevant articles published up to 2019 was performed in electronic databases. The random-effect model was used to calculate the weighted and pooled effect size at the 95% confidence interval. This study was based on 43 studies in English peer-reviewed journals involving 55,759 Chinese adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. We conducted subgroup analyses to explore whether differences in study designs (i.e., cross-sectional and longitudinal) and adolescent gender could explain perceived parental differences. The results showed that perceived maternal parenting attributes were more positive than perceived paternal parenting attributes in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Besides, perceived paternal parenting attributes showed slightly greater variability than did maternal parenting attributes. Subgroup analysis based on adolescent gender revealed that only adolescent girls perceived maternal parenting attributes to be more positive than paternal parenting attributes.

This study investigated the prospective associations among emotion expression, behavioral regulation, and cortisol responses in relation to different maternal parenting behaviors during the first 2 years of the infant\'s life, among a sample of low-income families. Participants included 1,141 mother-child pairs, assessed when the infants were 6, 15, and 24 months old. Maternal parenting behaviors were observed at the 6-month assessment, whereas infant emotion expression, orienting toward mothers, and cortisol responses were measured using a series of emotion-eliciting tasks at all time points. A latent profile analysis revealed four maternal parenting profiles: Detached, Intrusive, Average, and Engaged. Furthermore, a multiple-group path model revealed distinct patterns of emotion development for infants within different maternal parenting groups. Among children with Engaged and Average mothers, orienting behaviors tended to predict less negative emotion and cortisol responses, which was associated with more future orienting behaviors. Conversely, among children with Intrusive and Detached mothers, orienting behaviors tended to predict more negative emotion and cortisol responses, which predicted less future orienting behaviors. Findings of this study enhance current understanding of how different profiles of maternal parenting behaviors impact infant emotional development in poverty, with significant implications for intervention programs targeting early mother-infant interactions.

Maternal locus of control (LOC) as measured in pregnancy has been shown to be associated with parenting attitudes and behaviors as well as with children\'s comprehension of mathematical and scientific concepts. The present study evaluates whether the child\'s emergent literacy skills are similarly associated with maternal LOC: i.e., do children of prenatally externally oriented mothers perform less well on literacy tasks compared with their peers whose mothers are prenatally internally oriented. Prenatal measures collected within a United Kingdom birth cohort (ALSPAC) including a maternal LOC measure together with behavior and lifestyle details were analyzed. Later in childhood, offspring at ages 7 and 9 were tested by ALSPAC for spelling, phoneme awareness, reading comprehension, speed and accuracy. All achievement test scores showed a deficit among children of prenatally externally oriented mothers as compared to children of internally controlled women. Further analysis found that differences in diet, lifestyle and mother/child activities mediated approximately 60% of the deficit between children of external and internal mothers. A sensitivity analysis using national reading test results demonstrated similar results with these children. If further research confirms a causal relationship, programs to increase internality in adolescent girls or newly pregnant women may result in long-term benefits to their future offspring.