Abstract
We sought to illuminate whether and how pandemic-related experiences shaped the genetic and environmental influences on mothering behavior to better understand the effects of stress on parenting. Participants included 710 mothers of twins (M(age) = 47.00; SD(age) = 5.59; White: 84.8%, Black: 7%, Hispanic: 1.1%, Asian American and Pacific Islander: 0.8%, Native American: 0.8%, biracial: 0.3%, other: 3%, and not reported: 2.1%) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Biometric analyses revealed that as pandemic-related stressors like job loss and illness increased, mother-child conflict became more environmental in origin. By contrast, we found assets (e.g., more quality time with family) served to increase maternal nurturance of both of her children by suppressing the importance of evocative child effects. Our results provide novel information on the ways stressors and assets alter the origins of parenting behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).