Penn State establishes international center for co-parenting research
Feb 6, 2023
The arrival of a baby can bring tremendous joy — and stress — to new parents. Research in several countries has shown that new parents who learn teamwork skills are more likely to have supportive relationships that result in better physical and mental health, more sensitive and warm parenting…
Parenting practices in teen years set the stage for closeness, warmth later on
Oct 11, 2022
High-quality parenting practices in adolescence lay the foundation for close parent-child relationships when the children become young adults, according to new research from Penn State. The study is one of the first to examine how changes in parental involvement, parental warmth, and effective…
Sufficient sleep associated with life satisfaction in parents, new study finds
Sep 22, 2022
New research findings from a multi-university research team that includes Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology and associate director of the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State, show that for new and established parents getting sufficient sleep…
Parent-child separation book published
Jan 11, 2022
"Parent-child separation: Causes, consequences and pathways to resilience", the 12th volume in Penn State’s National Symposium on Family Issues book series, was recently published. The book is edited by PRI Director Jennifer Glick, PRI associate Valarie King, and former SSRI Director Susan M.…News Topics: Family SymposiumParenting
Penn State researchers are developing app to promote family well-being
Jun 23, 2021
The middle-school years mark a time of rapid change for pre-teens and teens, as well as for their parents. As adolescents seek greater independence, it can be challenging for their parents to connect with and guide them. Penn State researchers, with funding from the Mental Research Institute, are…
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on aggressive parenting
Jun 16, 2020
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on aggressive parenting. During the pandemic, closed schools and daycare centers, parents working at home, and financial insecurity are increasing stress levels and frictions at home. These conditions lead…
New project to study harsh parenting to inform better interventions
Oct 18, 2019
Research shows that harsh parenting results in children with lower self-esteem and behavior problems, but many parents still practice it. Penn State researchers were recently awarded a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve the scientific understanding of harsh…
Responsive parenting intervention results in lower BMIs through age three
Aug 8, 2018
An intervention designed to promote healthy growth, which taught first-time moms how to respond with age-appropriate responses to their babies’ needs, resulted in children having lower body mass indexes (BMIs) when they were three years old. The intervention, which began shortly after the babies’…
Parenting and personality work together to affect baby’s weight gain
Mar 21, 2018
Offering a snack may be a sure way to soothe a fussy child, but researchers say making it a habit can result in unnecessary weight gain in babies with certain temperaments. The researchers studied the babies’ temperament and how their mothers soothed them when the babies were six months old. When…
Harsh parenting linked with poor school performance in kids with ADHD
Jan 25, 2018
The way parents interact with their kids may affect how well children with certain behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — ADHD — perform in school, according to researchers. The researchers studied the associations between the parenting practices of mothers and fathers…