Parenting and mental health

Parenting shapes the mental health of children and parents. Warm and responsive parenting is associated with fewer internalizing and externalizing problems in childhood and adolescence. In contrast, negative parent–child interactions can contribute to poor mental health in offspring. The act of parenting itself also influences parents' mental health. Those who face greater demands and lack socio-economic, interpersonal and intrapersonal resources to meet those demands are the most vulnerable for parenting stress, and subsequent poor mental health. Culture and other aspects of the family's broader context influence these important processes.