Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue dedicated to parent–child relationship and children's health.

The parent–child relationship, being a unique adult-child bond, plays a crucial role in children’s health, functioning, and adjustment, which in turn influence parental behavior and satisfaction. A positive early bond favors children’s healthy social, physical, mental and emotional development. For some families, however, this bond is either missing or highly conflictual or otherwise damaged. In such situations, children’s healthy development is put at risk, with various consequences in the short- and in the long-run. Over the years, many programs have been proposed to support effective parenting for different types of families with specific needs. Nonetheless, this research and intervention field is only at the beginning. 

New studies addressing this topic, with different designs and different populations are needed to uncover the complexity of the link between parent–child relationship and children’s health. The present special issue will welcome theoretical papers, literature reviews, meta-analyses and empirical works aimed at extending the knowledge about the connection between parent–child relationship and children’s health, and the potential mechanisms involved in this relationship. Articles addressing potential and effective clinical interventions and prevention programs are also welcome.

The submission of contributions from all parts of the world is encouraged, as well as cross-cultural research aimed at comparing different cultural contexts.

Dr. Marcella Caputi

Guest Editor

Parent-Child Relationship; Parent-Child Closeness; Parent-Child Conflict; Parent–Child Interaction; Parent-Child Attachment; Parent-Child Dyad; Parental Hostility; Children’s Health; Child Adjustment; Children’s Wellbeing; Children's Socioemotional Functioning