Growing Up in Families with Parenting Stress and Conflict

Longitudinal Psychosocial Risk Patterns, Behavioral Problems and the Moderating Role of the Home Learning Environment

Bibliographic Data

ID15714969
AuthorsSusanne M Ulrich (0000-0002-7295-1935, Deutsches Jugendinstitut, corresponding author), Anja Linberg (0000-0002-1838-5311, Deutsches Jugendinstitut), Sabine Düval (0000-0002-3347-2640, Deutsches Jugendinstitut), Susanne Kuger (0000-0002-7874-7556, Deutsches Jugendinstitut)
Year2026
Volume13
Issue2
Pages276-276
Publication date2026-02-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children13020276
PMID41749632
OpenAlexW7129592430
LanguageEN
References cited41

Background/Objectives : Assessing psychosocial burden in families can help identify those at risk and prevent negative effects on children's well-being. This study (1) describes the longitudinal stability of psychosocial risk patterns; (2) examines group differences in the home learning environment as protective factors and in child behavior problems as an outcome; and (3) tests the moderating role of home learning activities on child behavior problems. We further explore associations with the use of institutional childcare. Methods : Data from 1459 children aged 0-6 years from the representative longitudinal study AID:A 2019 were analyzed across two time points (T1: 2019, T2: 2023). We tested differences in children's behavioral problems according to risk patterns, home learning environment, and control variables, including institutional care and support service use. Results : The shares of families categorized as low-burdened, economically burdened, parenting-stress-and-conflict-burdened and multiple-burdened remained stable over time, even though individual stability was only moderate. Children in families with parenting stress and conflict as well as those from multiple-burdened families more frequently displayed behavioral problems at T2 than other groups. Educational activity was a protective factor for behavioral problems for most groups, but was a risk factor in conflict-and-stress-burdened families. Similar results were found for the use of universal social/educational prevention services. Conclusions : For most families, a better home learning environment appears to act as a buffer against the effect of risk group membership on children's emotional well-being. However, in families marked by stress and conflict, the frequency of time together might not be beneficial-possibly because the quality of interactions matters more than the quantity. Universal social and educational services might be a place to address these families and develop targeted support

Affect (linguistics · Child rearing · Longitudinal study · Protective factor · Psychosocial · Quality (philosophy · Risk factor · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Parental Involvement in Education

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