J Fam Psychol. 2025 Jun 2. doi: 10.1037/fam0001361. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
It is well-established that parenting plays a crucial role in shaping the mental health of adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal association between adolescents’ perceived parental warmth, COVID-19 peritraumatic distress, and emotional problems. Participants were recruited from schools in Zhuhai, Xinyang, and Ningxiang. A total of 579 adolescents (55.4% girls, Mage = 12.83; SDage = 0.76) took part in this three-wave study conducted in January 2023 (Time 1), March 2023 (Time 2), and May 2023 (Time 3), with each wave being 2 months apart. The results from the cross-lagged panel model supported significant bidirectional relations between emotional problems and COVID-19 peritraumatic distress. In addition, the influence of maternal or paternal warmth on subsequent emotional problems was not statistically significant. The COVID-19 peritraumatic distress at Time 2 mediated the longitudinal effect of emotional problems at Time 1 on paternal warmth at Time 3. Nevertheless, COVID-19 peritraumatic distress did not significantly influence subsequent maternal warmth. These findings contribute to our understanding of the varying responses to adolescents’ stress across parental gender. Furthermore, they imply potential strategies to protect the healthy development of adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
PMID:40455507 | DOI:10.1037/fam0001361
