New research from Child Trends based on a 2007 national survey of children’s health indicates that the quality of parental relationships is consistently and positively associated with better outcomes for children and families. The results of the Child Trends research confirm findings from previous studies that, when parent relationship quality is high, their families and children have better outcomes.
Included in the April 2011 brief, Parental Relationship Quality and Child Outcomes Across Subgroups, is the finding that the positive association between the quality of parental relationships and child outcomes holds across many subgroup comparisons, including varied economic, racial, ethnic, and family structure subgroups. Positive relationships between parents are linked to:
- Reduced child behavior problems,
- Better child social competence,
- Greater child school engagement,
- Fewer child internalizing (depression) problems,
- Better parent-child communication, and
- Reduced feelings of aggravation by the parent.
Lead author lead author Kristin Moore suggests that programs and policies that are able to improve relationship quality could have positive implications for children.
