Do Resiliency and Coping Skills Moderate the Relationship Between Mood Disorders and Parenting Styles Due To Parental Relationship Distress?

<p>Parental relationship dynamics such as intimate partner violence (IPV), interpersonal distress (IPD), and parental alienation (PA) can significantly affect both mental health and parenting practices. This study examined whether personal strengths, specifically resilience and problem-focused coping, could help buffer these negative outcomes. Correlational analyses showed that IPV, IPD, and PA were positively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. IPV and PA were also negatively associated with the use of an authoritative parenting style. In contrast, resilience and problem-focused coping were linked to fewer mood-related symptoms and greater use of authoritative parenting. Multiple regression analyses revealed that IPV significantly predicted higher levels of depression and anxiety, even after accounting for resilience and coping. IPD was a significant predictor of depression, but not anxiety. However, IPV, IPD, and PA did not significantly predict authoritative parenting when other factors were included in the models. Moderation analyses demonstrated that problem-focused coping helped reduce the emotional impact of IPV. Individuals with stronger coping skills reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety in the context of IPV. While resilience was generally related to better psychological and parenting outcomes, it did not function as a moderator in any of the tested relationships. These findings emphasize the value of coping strategies in protecting mental health in the face of relationship stress. Although resilience remains an important factor, coping skills may play a more immediate role in reducing distress. This research supports the development of interventions that strengthen coping abilities to improve psychological well-being and parenting outcomes.</p> <p><em>Keywords: parental relationship distress, resilience, coping skills, mood disorders, parenting styles</em></p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy - School Psychology

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Burks, Tiffany

Contributors dc:contributor

• Luis Aguerrevere, Ph.D.
• Frankie Clark, Ph.D.
• Nina Ellis-Hervey, Ph.D.

• parental relationship distress
• resilience
• resiliency
• coping skills
• mood disorders
• parenting styles
• Clinical Psychology
• Community Psychology
• Counseling Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Multicultural Psychology
• Other Psychology
• School Psychology
• Social Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/655

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1669