Parenting

father teaching his son how to ride a bike

Actions related to the raising of offspring. Researchers have described different human parenting styles —ways in which parents interact with their children—with most classifications varying on the dimensions of emotional warmth (warm vs. cold) and control (high in control vs. low in control).

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

The many pathways of empty nesting

This stage can free parents to pursue their goals and passions

‘Sharenting’: What happens when children's lives are shared online?

Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD, discusses the psychology of “sharenting”

Why midlife may be your prime time

Margie Lachman, PhD, discusses the science of midlife

parent taking a picture of a child using a smartphone

What you need to know before sharing your child’s life online

Parents don’t always consider privacy, autonomy, and safety consequences

What APA is doing

Advocacy

Children, youth, and families

APA Services advocates for policies to prevent children’s exposure to violence and expand access to treatment and essential services for children who have experienced violence.

Offices

Children, youth, and families portfolio

The Children, Youth, and Families office aims to advance the creation, communication, and application of psychological knowledge on child development issues to benefit society and improve the lives of all children and their families.

teacher and student in preschool classroom

Divisions

Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice

APA’s Division 37 is committed to the application of psychological knowledge to advocacy, social justice, service delivery, and public policies affecting children, youth, and families in a diverse and inclusive society.

Divisions

Society for Couple and Family Psychology

APA’s Division 43 provides a home for psychologists interested in families in their many forms. Clinical, scientific, educational, and public policy perspectives are well represented in the wide range of divisional activities.