What It Means to Put Children First: A Mixed-Method Investigation of Child-Centric Parenting

Natalie M. Sisson, Hanieh Naeimi, Joëlle Darwiche, Emily A. Impett, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Family and Development Research Center , Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Published online on June 13, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Ahead of Print.
Child-centrism is a commonly practiced parenting approach in which parents prioritize their children’s well-being over their own. Despite initial validation of a child-centrism scale among mothers—supporting its distinctiveness from other intensive ...