20-year longitudinal study on parental stress and relationship quality

The preregistered study  Psychological distress and partnership quality in parents: A 20-year longitudinal study by Yan Li (University of Helsinki) examined bidirectional associations between parental psychological distress (PD) and relationship quality (RQ) from pregnancy to children’s adolescence.

The study assessed both within-individual and cross-partner effects, testing the associative strength as well as gender differences. PD was associated with higher overall RQ (i.e., a combination of intimacy and autonomy) and higher autonomy at unique parenting stages. However, PD predicted lower intimacy and less relationship enmeshment (i.e., a combination of more autonomy than intimacy) during early parenting years.

The findings highlight the importance of understanding how PD shapes RQ over time, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between autonomy and intimacy in family relationships throughout the parenting years.

Congratulations for this great work!

Li, Y., Lindblom, J., Vänskä, M., Punamäki, R.-L., Kanske, P., & Flykt, M. (2026). Psychological distress and partnership quality in parents: A 20-year longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001446