Jiang Zixin, Yang Yuqing, Chen Bin-Bin
Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1007/s10567-025-00530-w.
To determine the associations between parental differential treatment (PDT) and various psychopathological symptoms in children and its mechanisms, this systematic review integrated 26 studies spanning more than three decades, involving 37,025 participants. A network meta-analysis was employed to calculate correlations between absolute and relative PDT and specific symptoms (including anxiety, depression, aggression, and rule-breaking behavior), as well as broad-band symptoms (including internalizing and externalizing behavior) in children. Meta-analytic structural equation modelling was used to examine the mediating effect between PDT and psychopathology. Results indicated that a greater amount of PDT in the family (absolute PDT) was significantly associated with depression (r = 0.14, 95% CI [0.06, 0.22]), internalizing behavior (r = 0.14, 95% CI [0.06, 0.22]), aggression (r = 0.11, 95% CI [0.03, 0.19]), rule-breaking behavior (r = 0.21, 95% CI [0.08, 0.33]) and externalizing behavior (r = 0.13, 95% CI [0.04, 0.21]). Compared to favored siblings, disfavored children (relative PDT) displayed more anxiety (r = 0.11, 95% CI [0.01, 0.21]), depression (r = 0.10, 95% CI [0.00, 0.18]), internalizing behavior (r = 0.12, 95% CI [0.01, 0.23]), aggression (r = 0.12, 95% CI [0.02, 0.21]) and externalizing behavior (r = 0.20, 95% CI [0.10, 0.29]). Children who received less favoritism were at higher risk for psychopathology in cultures with higher levels of individualism. Furthermore, the sibling relationship factor mediated the association between absolute PDT and child psychopathology. These findings highlight that PDT may be a risk factor for both specific and broad-band symptoms of psychopathology and offer insights into its potential mechanisms.
为了确定父母差别对待（PDT）与儿童各种心理病理症状之间的关联及其机制，本系统综述整合了跨越三十多年的26项研究，涉及37,025名参与者。采用网络荟萃分析来计算绝对和相对PDT与特定症状（包括焦虑、抑郁、攻击行为和违规行为）以及儿童的宽泛症状（包括内化和外化行为）之间的相关性。荟萃分析结构方程模型用于检验PDT与精神病理学之间的中介效应。结果表明，家庭中更多的PDT（绝对PDT）与抑郁（r = 0.14，95%可信区间[0.06, 0.22]）、内化行为（r = 0.14，95%可信区间[0.06, 0.22]）、攻击行为（r = 0.11，95%可信区间[0.03, 0.19]）、违规行为（r = 0.21，95%可信区间[0.08, 0.33]）和外化行为（r = 0.13，95%可信区间[0.04, 0.21]）显著相关。与受宠爱的兄弟姐妹相比，受冷落的孩子（相对PDT）表现出更多的焦虑（r = 0.11，95%可信区间[0.01, 0.21]）、抑郁（r = 0.10，95%可信区间[0.00, 0.18]）、内化行为（r = 0.12，95%可信区间[0.01, 0.23]）、攻击行为（r = 0.12，95%可信区间[0.02, 0.21]）和外化行为（r = 0.20，95%可信区间[0.10, 0.29]）。在个人主义水平较高的文化中，受到较少偏爱的儿童出现精神病理学问题的风险更高。此外，兄弟姐妹关系因素介导了绝对PDT与儿童精神病理学之间的关联。这些发现突出表明，PDT可能是精神病理学特定症状和宽泛症状的一个风险因素，并为其潜在机制提供了见解。
