Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Department of Behavioural Neurosciences & Psychiatry, McMaster University, Canada
Piyumi Mudiyanselage
Child Health Evaluative Sciences Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Eva Unternaehrer
University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, University of Basel, Switzerland
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
Jennifer Crosbie
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
Evdokia Anagnastou
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; and Autism Research Centre, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Suneeta Monga
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
Elizabeth Kelley
Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Canada
Russell Schachar
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
Jonathon Maguire
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; and MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Paul Arnold
Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada
Christie L. Burton
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Stelios Georgiades
Department of Behavioural Neurosciences & Psychiatry, McMaster University, Canada
Rob Nicolson
Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario, Canada
Catherine S. Birken
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; and Division of Paediatric Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Alice Charach
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
Background Parent and child mental health has suffered during the pandemic and transition phase. Structured and shared parenting may be intervention targets beneficial to families who are struggling with parent or child mental health challenges. Aims First, we investigated associations between structured and shared parenting and parent depression symptoms. Second, we investigated associations between structured and shared parenting and depression, hyperactivity/inattention and irritability symptoms in children. Method A total of 1027 parents in two-parent households (4797 observations total; 85.1% mothers) completed online surveys about themselves and their children (aged 2–18 years) from April 2020 to July 2022. Structured parenting and shared parenting responsibilities were assessed from April 2020 to November 2021. Symptoms of parent depression, child depression, child hyperactivity and inattention, child irritability, and child emotional and conduct problems were assessed repeatedly (one to 14 times; median of four times) from April 2020 to July 2022. Results Parents who reported higher levels of shared parenting responsibilities had lower depression symptoms (β = −0.09 to −0.32, all P < 0.01) longitudinally. Parents who reported higher levels of shared parenting responsibilities had children with fewer emotional problems (ages 2–5 years; β = −0.07, P < 0.05), fewer conduct problems (ages 2–5 years; β = −0.09, P < 0.01) and less irritability (ages 13–18 years; β = −0.27, P < 0.001) longitudinally. Structured parenting was associated with fewer conduct problems (ages 2–5 years; β = −0.05, P < 0.05). Conclusions Shared parenting is beneficial for parent and child mental health, even under chaotic or inflexible life conditions. Structured parenting is beneficial for younger children.
