Parenting stress of mothers has frequently been linked to negative child outcomes. According to Abidin’s stress model, this relationship may be explained by dysfunctional parenting behaviors. In this study, we scrutinized the effects of both mothers and fathers in the pathway from parenting stress through parenting behaviors to subsequent adolescent behavior problems. We expected the association between parenting stress and adolescent behavior problems to be partially mediated by maternal and paternal parenting behaviors. Further, we expected crossover effects, i.e., that parenting stress of one parent was related to the parenting behavior of the other parent. We applied a 3-wave longitudinal design using data from 441 adolescents (52% girls) and their parents (419 fathers; 436 mothers). Parents reported on parenting stress (adolescent age range = 10.9–16.3 years). Adolescents reported on perceived parental overreactivity and warmth (age range = 12.9–18.3) and their own internalizing and externalizing problems (age range = 15.9–21.3). Despite cross-sectional significant associations between parenting stress, parenting behavior, and adolescent behavior problems, we found no evidence of longitudinal linkages. One exception was maternal parenting stress, which positively predicted later adolescent externalizing problems. Consequently, the mediating role of parenting behaviors was not supported. We found no crossover effects in the pathway from parenting stress to parenting behaviors. The discrepancies between our longitudinal and cross-sectional findings raise questions about the actual impact that parents have on their children’s outcome. Though, targeting mothers’ parenting stress may help to reduce adolescent externalizing problems and its ramifications at least to some extent.

母亲的育儿压力经常与孩子的负面结果有关。根据阿比丁的压力模型，这种关系可以通过父母功能失调的行为来解释。在这项研究中，我们仔细研究了父母双方在从父母压力到父母行为到随后的青少年行为问题的路径中的影响。我们期望父母压力和青少年行为问题之间的关联部分由母亲和父母的父母行为所介导。此外，我们预期会有交叉效应，即一个父母的父母压力与另一父母的父母行为有关。我们使用来自441名青少年（52％的女孩）及其父母（419名父亲； 436名母亲）的数据进行了3波纵向设计。父母报告了育儿压力（青少年年龄段） =  10.9–16.3年）。青少年报告了父母的过度反应和温暖感（年龄范围 =  12.9-18.3）以及他们自己的内在化和外在化问题（年龄 = 15.9–21.3）。尽管育儿压力，育儿行为和青少年行为问题之间存在明显的横断面联系，但我们没有发现纵向联系的证据。产妇育儿压力是一个例外，它积极地预测了以后的青少年外在化问题。因此，不支持育儿行为的中介作用。我们发现从育儿压力到育儿行为的途径中没有交叉效应。我们的纵向和横向发现之间的差异引发了有关父母对子女结局的实际影响的疑问。不过，针对母亲的育儿压力可能至少在一定程度上有助于减少青少年的外在化问题及其后果。