Dyadic Associations of Parenting Stress, Family Resilience, and Coping Styles Among Parents and Grandparents in Intergenerational Co-Parenting Families.

Abstract

Aim: This study examined the dyadic relationships among parenting stress, family resilience, and coping styles within Chinese intergenerational co-parenting households. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in China from December 2022 to September 2023. The STROBE checklist was used to report the current study. Methods: A total of 312 parent-grandparent dyads caring for children under three years old participated. Both parents and grandparents completed the Parenting Stress Scale, Grandparenting Parenting Stress Scale, Family Hardiness Index, and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire. Dyadic associations were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) to examine whether parenting stress was associated with family resilience and coping styles among parents and grandparents. Results: Family resilience was found to partially mediate the relationship between parenting stress and positive coping styles in both parents (β = -0.054, p < 0.001) and grandparents (β = -0.067, p < 0.001). Additionally, family resilience mediated partner effects, suggesting interdependence between parents' (β = -0.311, p < 0.001) and grandparents' stress and coping mechanisms (β = -0.231, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study enhances understanding of the interdependent relationships between parenting stress, family resilience, and coping strategies in Chinese intergenerational co-parenting households.