Relations between Yearly and Daily Patterns in Fathering and Mothering: An Application of Dynamic Structural Equation...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Family Studies
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Research on parenting quality often focuses on infancy and early childhood.
• Gaps exist in understanding parenting dynamics from a family systems perspective during late childhood and adolescence.
• Previous studies primarily modeled average changes in parenting, neglecting shorter-term daily variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore yearly and daily patterns of fathers' and mothers' parenting quality.
• To examine parenting dynamics from a family systems perspective in middle childhood through adolescence.
• To analyze both long-term and short-term fluctuations in parenting behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized dynamic structural equation modeling.
• Analyzed data from 278 father-mother couples with children in middle childhood through adolescence.
• Examined parenting quality across different timescales (yearly and daily).

Main Results:

• No significant changes in average daily parenting levels were observed across years.
• High stability in day-to-day parenting was found within and across years.
• Yearly and daily fathering levels were negatively related, suggesting trait-level fathering may correlate with daily fluctuations.

Conclusions:

• Parenting patterns in fathers and mothers were illuminated across different timescales during later child development.
• Simultaneous consideration of fathering and mothering is crucial for a comprehensive family systems perspective.
• The study emphasizes the stability and interrelation of parenting behaviors over time.