Paternal parenting stress, parenting styles, and early childhood development: Examining the key role of parent-child relationships

Abstract

Early childhood development lays the foundation for the physical, emotional, and intellectual health of children during middle childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This study explores the mechanisms through which paternal parenting stress may be associated with early childhood development. Methods: A nine-month cross-timepoint phased measurement design was employed, involving 289 children (M _age = 62.54 months, SD _age = 6.978 months)) and their fathers. Results: No evidence was found to suggest that paternal parenting stress directly predicts early childhood development. Similarly, the mediating effects of paternal authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles in this relationship were not significant. However, parent-child relationships were found to mediate the association between paternal parenting stress and early childhood development. The findings indicate that increased paternal parenting stress is associated with a tendency toward less favorable paternal parenting styles, which may indirectly affect early childhood development. Parent-child relationships emerge as a critical factor in this process, addressing a research gap and contributing to the refinement of the parenting stress model.