Parenting stress, mental health, dyadic adjustment: A structural equation model

Objective: In the 1st year of the post-partum period, parenting stress, mental health,\r\nand dyadic adjustment are important for the wellbeing of both parents and the\r\nchild. However, there are few studies that analyze the relationship among these three\r\ndimensions. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between parenting\r\nstress, mental health (depressive and anxiety symptoms), and dyadic adjustment among\r\nfirst-time parents.\r\nMethod: We studied 268 parents (134 couples) of healthy babies. At 12 months\r\npost-partum, both parents filled out, in a counterbalanced order, the Parenting Stress\r\nIndex-Short Form, the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety\r\nInventory, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Structural equation modeling was used\r\nto analyze the potential mediating effects of mental health on the relationship between\r\nparenting stress and dyadic adjustment.\r\nResults: Results showed the full mediation effect of mental health between parenting\r\nstress and dyadic adjustment. A multi-group analysis further found that the paths did\r\nnot differ across mothers and fathers.\r\nDiscussion: The results suggest that mental health is an important dimension that\r\nmediates the relationship between parenting stress and dyadic adjustment in the\r\ntransition to parenthood.