Positive parent-child relationships

Abstract

Practitioners working in child and family psychology typically hear about the challenges of problematic parent-child relationships. A positive psychology approach, however, identifies what is effective in fostering family resilience and facilitating optimal parent-child relationships (Suldo SM, Parent-Child Relationships. In Gilman R, Huebner ES, and Furlong MJ (eds) Handbook of positive psychology in schools. Routledge, New York, 2009). Drawing on this perspective, this chapter summarises the literature, exploring different parenting styles and effective parenting strategies. We also outline changes in the parent-child relationship from birth through infancy, childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. We also consider the impact of alternative carers and cultural diversity with reference to mutually rewarding parent-child connections and increased child well-being.