Zheng Hong, Hu Yihao, Cao Yuchen, Li Ran, Wang Nan, Chen Xi, Chen Ting, Liu Junsheng
Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China.
School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Front Psychol. 2024 Mar 5;15:1308868. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1308868. eCollection 2024.
There have been studies indicating that children's unsociability was associated with poorer socio-emotional functioning in China. Although some researchers have found that parenting behavior would influence the relationship between children's unsociability and adjustment, the role of parental psychological control has not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of parental psychological control on the relationship between unsociability and socio-emotional functioning in Chinese children.
A total of 1,275 students from Grades 3 to 7 (637 boys, = 10.78 years, = 1.55 years) were selected from four public schools in Shanghai to participate in this study. Data of unsociability, peer victimization and social preference were collected from peer-nominations, and data of parental psychological control, depressive symptoms and social anxiety were collected from self-reports.
There were positive associations between unsociability and peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety, as well as a negative association between unsociability and social preference. Parental psychological control moderated these associations, specifically, the associations between unsociability and peer victimization, social preference, and depressive symptoms were stronger, and the association between unsociability and social anxiety was only significant among children with higher level of parental psychological control.
The findings in the current study highlight the importance of parental psychological control in the socio-emotional functioning of unsociable children in the Chinese context, enlightening educators that improving parenting behavior is essential for children's development.
有研究表明，在中国，儿童的不合群与较差的社会情感功能有关。尽管一些研究人员发现养育行为会影响儿童不合群与适应之间的关系，但父母心理控制的作用尚未得到探讨。本研究旨在调查父母心理控制对中国儿童不合群与社会情感功能之间关系的调节作用。
从上海四所公立学校选取了1275名三至七年级的学生（637名男生，平均年龄=10.78岁，标准差=1.55岁）参与本研究。不合群、同伴受害和社会偏好的数据通过同伴提名收集，父母心理控制、抑郁症状和社交焦虑的数据通过自我报告收集。
不合群与同伴受害、抑郁症状和社交焦虑之间存在正相关，不合群与社会偏好之间存在负相关。父母心理控制调节了这些关联，具体而言，不合群与同伴受害、社会偏好和抑郁症状之间的关联更强，不合群与社交焦虑之间的关联仅在父母心理控制水平较高的儿童中显著。
本研究结果凸显了在中国背景下父母心理控制在不合群儿童社会情感功能中的重要性，启示教育工作者改善养育行为对儿童发展至关重要。
