Children raised by accepting parents face fewer challenges when they become parents themselves, a new study suggests.
Researchers at Oregon State University and Utrecht University analyzed 24 longitudinal datasets encompassing more than 12,000 families, found that parenting experienced in early childhood plays a more powerful role in shaping later parenting behavior than parenting experienced during adolescence.
The researchers describe these intergenerational links as “modest” at the individual level—many other factors, including a partner’s parenting style, also influence how people parent.
“Especially children who experienced little acceptance, and a lot of negativity, tended to grow up to become parents who also had more difficulty raising children,” said paper author and psychologist Sanne Geeraerts in a statement.
Geeraerts noted that the findings do not imply children simply copy the behavior they grew up with.
“A father who experienced little love from his own parents may be well capable of showing love to his children,” Geeraerts explained. “But he may struggle more in his parenting, potentially because he missed a good example.”
Geeraerts and Oregon State psychologist professor David Kerr conducted the meta-analysis to clarify decades of mixed findings about how parenting behaviors are transmitted across generations.
By pooling multiple datasets, the researchers were able not only to strengthen the overall reliability of results but also to identify the specific conditions under which parenting styles are more or less likely to be passed down.
Many previous studies relied on adults’ retrospective accounts of their upbringing—records that are often clouded by memory bias or influenced by current relationships with parents. The meta-analysis also incorporated a comparatively large number of studies examining fathers, a group historically underrepresented in parenting research.
For parents who did not grow up with acceptance or positive role models, Geeraerts told Newsweek that seeking help from partners, friends and family to avoid repeating patterns with their own children.
“Although our study demonstrates that parenting can have long-lasting consequences, it doesn’t mean that you ruin your child when you make one mistake,” she said.
“If you’re not happy with how you dealt with a specific situation discuss it with people around you, come up with a strategy, and do it differently the next time. It’s also possible to repair things towards your child if you feel you made a mistake.”
Admitting to your child that you regret your reaction and understand its impact can repair your relationship and set a positive example, she said.
Kerr noted that the findings highlight long-term consequences parents rarely consider in the moment.
“Parents are often thinking about a 30-second time horizon,” Kerr said. “How do I encourage or stop this thing happening right now. They are generally not thinking how their pattern of responding cascades across their child’s lifespan, much less across future generations.”
While researchers found that the association between early childhood parenting matters somewhat more for next generation parenting than parenting later in childhood and adolescence, Geeraerts said ultimately, what children need most is a loving home where they feel safe.
“Think about what you need as a parent to be able to provide this as much as possible.” she said. “Do you need to clean the house every day? If it makes you happy and you feel like you need a tidy house to function as a parent, then yes.
“But otherwise, letting go of all kinds of non-essential tasks may help you with lowering stress, which in turn helps you with staying positive and supportive towards your children. Try to be kind to yourself so that you can be kind to your children.”
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Reference
Geeraerts, S. B., Spitzer, J., Schulz, S., Capaldi, D. M., Kerr, D. C. R., & Branje, S. (2025). Intergenerational stability in parenting across two generations: A multilevel meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 151(9), 1170–1195. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000494