Mental Health Issues and Parenting Practice: Mediation of Family  Connectedness

Danica Radaković Serdar; Boro Merdović; Marina Kovačević Lepojević

doi:10.51738/kpolisa.2025.2r.002

Authors

Danica Radaković Serdar Center for Social Work, Stara Pazova, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0132-8178
Boro Merdović Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6619-5934
Marina Kovačević Lepojević Institute for Educational Research, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4780-1716

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51738/kpolisa.2025.2r.002

Keywords:

parenting practice, mental health issues, family connectedness, parents, Serbia.

Abstract

Parenting is recognized as one of the most important factors in the adjustment of children and adolescents. Contemporary interpretations of the factors involved to the parenting practice emphasize the importance of family connectedness as protective mechanism related to more parental involvement and positive parenting, and less corporal punishment, inconsistent parenting and poor monitoring.The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between patents’ mental health issues and positive and negative parenting practice. Additiona ly, the study seeks to explore indirect relations between parents’ mental health issues, and positive and negative parenting practice with family connectedness as a mediating factor. The sample consisted of 216 parents (82.1% female). Data on parents’ mental health issues were assessed using Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) parenting practice were co lected using the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and data on family connectedness were assessed using the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS). The results indicate that direct link was found between parents’ stress and inconsistent parenting (Z = 2.238; p < .05) and parents’ anxiety and poor monitoring (Z = 2.472; p < .05), while the indirect effects were found between parents’ stress and parental involvement (Z = -2.825; p < .01),parents’ stress and corporal punishment (Z = 2.405; p < .05). The findings are discussed considering the significance of family connectedness on parenting practice.

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