The Parent-School Relationship, Resilience and Parental Stress

Parental stress is an integral part of parenthood. A high level of parental stress affects both parents and their children, as well as parent-child relationships. The parent's resilience often predicts parental stress. The theoretical framework and current studies in this field often neglect the critical role that schools may play in parent's wellbeing and parent-children relationship. The current study explored the relationship between parental resilience and parental stress and the mediated role of their relationship with schools (parent-teacher connection and school fit). The sample consisted of 497 parents (416 mothers and 81 fathers). Parental stress was negatively correlated with the teacher-parent connections and school fit. A serial mediation model demonstrated that parent-teacher connections and school fit mediated the relations between parental resilience and parental stress. These findings expand the theoretical framework for understanding the sources of parental stress. Educational implications for developing parent-school relationship, including suggestions for the roles of school psychologists in promoting resilience are considered.