Predicting Parental Psychological Distress from Child Behavioral Problems and Parenting Burden: The Moderating Role of Coparenting Support

Kärt Põld; Laura Benítez; Prakash Adhikari

Authors

Kärt Põld Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0571-3811
Laura Benítez Department of Social Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6760-1631
Prakash Adhikari Department of Clinical Psychology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3772-5123

Keywords:

parental psychological distress, child behavioral problems, parenting burden, coparenting support, moderation, parenting stress, Spain

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to predict parental psychological distress from child behavioral problems and parenting burden and to examine whether coparenting support moderated these associations among parents in Spain.

Methods and Materials: This quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 428 parents of children aged 6–16 years residing in Spain. Participants were recruited through schools and community-based family organizations using a multistage convenience sampling procedure. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), the parent-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF), and the Coparenting Relationship Scale (CRS). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations, hierarchical multiple regression, and moderation analysis with the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Continuous predictors were mean-centered before interaction terms were created, and moderation effects were evaluated using 5,000 bootstrap resamples with 95% confidence intervals.

Findings: Child behavioral problems significantly predicted higher parental psychological distress (B = 0.34, SE = 0.04, β = .29, p < .001), while parenting burden showed the strongest positive association with distress (B = 0.14, SE = 0.01, β = .46, p < .001). Coparenting support significantly predicted lower psychological distress (B = -1.53, SE = 0.34, β = -.17, p < .001). The final hierarchical regression model explained 55.4% of the variance in parental psychological distress. Coparenting support significantly moderated the association between child behavioral problems and distress (B = -0.09, SE = 0.03, p = .001) and between parenting burden and distress (B = -0.04, SE = 0.01, p < .001). The full moderation model explained 58.6% of the variance, indicating that both adverse associations became weaker as coparenting support increased.

Conclusion: Child behavioral problems and parenting burden are important predictors of parental psychological distress, whereas coparenting support functions as both a direct protective factor and a buffer that attenuates the psychological impact of parenting-related difficulties.

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References

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