OBJECTIVES: To study the moderating effect of mother-child relationship in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children, and to provide reference for the prevention and control of emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children. METHODS: Using a stratified cluster sampling method, 2 049 preschool children were surveyed from November to December 2021, who sampled from 12 kindergartens in Wuhu City, Anhui Province. The emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children were assessed with the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship of maternal parenting stress and mother-child relationship with children's emotional and behavioral problems. The PROCESS Macro was used to analyze the moderating effect of conflicted and dependent mother-child relationships in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in these preschool children. RESULTS: Among these preschool children, maternal parenting stress was positively correlated with the scores of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems subscales and total difficulty scores (P<0.001); intimate mother-child relationships were negatively correlated with the scores of conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems subscales and total difficulty scores (P<0.001); conflicted and dependent mother-child relationships were positively correlated with the scores of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems subscales and total difficulty scores (P<0.001). After controlling for relevant confounding factors, conflicted mother-child relationship (β=0.05, P=0.001) and dependent mother-child relationship (β=0.04, P=0.012) were found to have a moderating effect on the association between maternal parenting stress and total difficulty scores in these preschool children. CONCLUSIONS Negative mother-child relationships play a moderating role in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children. Prevention of emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children should focus on reducing maternal parenting stress and improving negative mother-child relationships.
Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Problem Behavior/psychology* ; Parenting/psychology* ; Emotions ; Mother-Child Relations ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Mothers/psychology*

To develop a caregiver parenting behavior scale for children aged 2 to 6 years, and to verify its reliability and validity. This study recruited 1 350 caregivers of children aged 2 to 6 years. The item discrimination analysis and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyze the structure, dimensions and items of the scale. Homogeneity reliability, split-half reliability and test-retest reliability were used to analyze the reliability of the scale. Content validity and construct validity were used to analyze the validity of the scale. The results showed that the final scale contained 7 dimensions and 45 items. Cronbach's α coefficient of the total scale was 0.945; the coefficient of split half was 0.899; the test-retest reliability analysis showed that the correlation coefficients between the two tests were 0.893 (total score), 0.854 (social), 0.832 (language), 0.871 (gross motor), 0.893 (fine motor), 0.862 (cognitive), 0.832 (self-care), and 0.872 (sensory). The content validity analysis was carried out by two rounds of expert argumentation using Delphi expert consultation method. The Kendall coefficient of the items score in two rounds of Delphi expert consultation was 0.813 (P<0.01). The structure validity analysis showed that there were significant correlations between each dimension and the total scale, also between each dimension of the scale, and the extracted average variance values of each dimension was greater than the correlation coefficients between this dimension and other dimensions. In conclusion, the reliability and validity of the scale are qualified. It can be used as a tool to evaluate and guide the parenting behavior of caregivers of children aged 2 to 6 years.
Humans ; Child ; Caregivers/psychology* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Parenting ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Psychometrics/methods*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between maternal job burnout and adolescent depression and the mediating effect of maternal depression and parenting style. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The cluster random sampling method was used to select 2 572 adolescents from 7 middle schools in Shanghai, China, from April to May, 2021. A survey was performed for these adolescents and their mothers. The research tools included a general information questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, short-form of Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran, and Children's Depression Inventory. A structural equation model was established, and the Bootstrap method was used to investigate the mediating effect. RESULTS: The detection rate of depressive symptoms was 12.71% (327/2 572) among the adolescents. The scores of maternal job burnout, maternal depression, and negative parenting style were positively correlated with the score of adolescent depression (P<0.05), and the score of positive parenting style was negatively correlated with the score of adolescent depression (P<0.05). Maternal depression and parenting style played a mediating role between maternal job burnout and adolescent depression, including the individual mediating effect of maternal depression, the individual mediating effect of positive parenting style, and the chain mediating effect of maternal depression-negative/positive parenting style. CONCLUSIONS Maternal job burnout may affect adolescent depression through the mediating effect of depression, parenting style, and depression-parenting style, suggesting that the symptoms of adolescent depression can be reduced by alleviating maternal job burnout, improving maternal depression, increasing positive parenting behaviors, and reducing negative parenting behaviors.
Child ; Adolescent ; Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/etiology* ; Parenting ; China ; Burnout, Psychological

OBJECTIVES: To study the association between oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and parenting style in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A case-control study was performed on 482 children with ADHD, among whom 322 did not have ODD (simple ADHD group) and 160 had ODD (ADHD+ODD group). General demographic data and the Parenting Style Scale assessment scores were collected from the two groups. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between parenting style and ODD in children with ADHD. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in parenting style scores (including rejection factor, emotional warmth factor, overprotection factor, and preference factor) and general demographic data between the simple ADHD and ADHD+ODD groups (P>0.05). Among the children with the predominantly inattentive type of ADHD, the older the child or the lower the father's educational level, the higher the risk of ODD (P<0.05), while there was no significant association between parenting style and the development of ODD (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Parenting style is not significantly associated with the development of ODD in children with ADHD. In clinical practice, it is necessary to eliminate the stereotype that the parents of children with ADHD and comorbid ODD have a poor parenting style and look for the causes of development of ODD from multiple perspectives, so as to provide reasonable intervention recommendations.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Comorbidity ; Humans ; Parenting ; Parents

OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of parenting sense of competence scale (PSOC) in Chinese mothers of preschool children, and to explore the perception of preschool children's mothers on their own parenting skills and their comfort of being a parent in Yanqing District of Beijing. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a convenience sample in 1 384 preschool children's mothers in Yanqing District of Beijing. SPSS 21.0 and Mplus 7.4 software were used for statistical analysis to test the structural validity, criterion related validity, internal consistency and split half reliability of the scale, and to analyze the score of the scale and its influencing factors. RESULTS: The PSOC had good reliability and validity. Exploratory factor analysis showed that each item of the PSOC had more than 0.4 factor loading in efficacy factor or satisfaction factor, and there was no double load phenomenon. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the factor loadings ranged from 0.212 to 0.843 in efficacy factor and satisfaction factor, respectively. The goodness of fit test showed that all the fitting indexes were within the acceptable range, and the correlation between the effectiveness subscale and the satisfaction subscale was high. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the whole scale, the efficacy subscale and the satisfaction subscale were 0.872, 0.802, and 0.874, respectively. The Spearman-Brown coefficient of PSOC was 0.851. The average score of the whole scale, the efficacy subscale, and the satisfaction subscale were 72.33±11.31, 35.54±5.91, and 36.79±7.11, respectively, and the score of parenting competence in Chinese mothers of preschool children was influenced by the mother's educational level and the annual income of her family. CONCLUSION The PSOC has satisfactory reliability and validity in Chinese mothers of preschool children. It can be used as an evaluation instrument for measuring the parenting competency, self perceived efficacy and satisfaction in the mainland Chinese mothers of preschool children. The competency of preschool children's mothers in Yanqing District of Beijing is very good, which may be related to the higher education level of the mothers and the higher annual income of their families in this study.
Beijing ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parenting ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of parent-child painting and creative crafting therapy on the core symptoms of preschool children with mild-to-moderate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the parenting stress and hope level of their mothers. METHODS: A total of 56 preschool children with mild-to-moderate ASD and their mothers were divided into an experimental group and a control group using the block randomization method, with 28 pairs in each group. The subjects in the control group received an applied behavior analytic intervention and those in the experimental group received parent-child painting and creative crafting therapy in addition to the intervention in the control group. The intervention time was 20 weeks for both groups. Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF), and Herth Hope Index (HHI) were used to evaluate the core symptoms of children and the parenting stress and hope level of their mothers before and after 20 weeks of intervention. RESULTS: Forty-nine child-mother pairs completed the study (25 pairs in the intervention group and 24 pairs in the control group). The children in the experimental group had significantly lower scores of social interaction, language, social communication, and social motivation and total scores of ABC and SRS compared with those in the control group ( CONCLUSIONS The combination of applied behavior analytic intervention with parent-child painting and creative crafting therapy can more effectively improve the core symptoms and social interaction of preschool children with mild-to-moderate ASD, reduce the parenting stress of mothers and improve their hope level.
Autism Spectrum Disorder/therapy* ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parenting ; Prospective Studies

Background: The family life cycle describes the stages of family development starting from the formation of the emerging adults to marriage, birth of children, growth into adolescents, adulthood and families in later life. The cycle includes individual developmental changes of family members, evolution of marital relationship and cyclic development of the evolving family unit. Presently, there is no study that describes the developmental tasks, structures and functions of Filipino families with young children. Objective: The objective of the study was to describe the developmental tasks, family structure and functions among selected Filipino families with young children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2016 on a total of 353 Filipino parents of families with young children ages 0-12 years old. Results: The extended type of family (65%) is more predominant than the nuclear type (35%) among the participants. A high Family APGAR score of 9.2 (SD ± 1.1) translated to highly functioning families with young children. Overall, the first order changes on financing, marital adjustments and extended family relationships were highly met except that on the unexpected costs of family life. For second order changes, there was a significant association of decline in intimacy over time among couples progress thru the life stages (X2 12.75, p-value 0.013). Partners were able to adjust the marital relationship mainly through communication and acceptance. The parenting roles were done most of the time except for the roles on inspiring children for nationalism and providing wholesome educational materials. Finally, almost all families with young children (99%) were able to align relationship with extended family members. Conclusion The selected Filipino families with young children mostly have an extended family structure and are highly functional. Overall, the first and second developmental tasks were accomplished in varying degrees.
Family ; Family Relations ; Parenting

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify utilization of the work-family support policy (WFSP) and factors affecting retention intention among Korean female military officers. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey recruited 103 married female officers from the Korean Army, Navy, and Air force with preschool-aged children through convenience and snowball sampling. Via online surveys from June to November, 2018, the participants self-reported retention intention, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, and utilization of the WFSP. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Retention intention (22.29±5.98) was reported at the mid-level, lower than scores reported in the literature for female workers. Work-family conflict (32.51±5.29) and job satisfaction (63.10±7.45) were above the midpoint levels. Use of maternity leave (100.0%) and parental leave (92.2%) was high, especially compared to the rates of child-care day off (20.4%) and parenting time (20.4%). ‘Noticeable increases in childcare services within the army’ (22.8%) was reported as the supportive measure needed the most by female military officers. Job satisfaction (β=.43, p≤.001), the use of parenting time (β=−0.29, p=.002), living type (β=−.18, p=.043), and service type (β=−.16, p=.035) significantly influenced retention intention. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the priority areas of importance within the WFSP and suggest that a family-friendly culture can improve female officers' retention intention. Accordingly, policy changes at the Ministry of National Defense improving the system to enhance a family-friendly culture in the military is expected to strengthen the retention intention of female officers and contribute to excellence in the military workforce.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Intention ; Job Satisfaction ; Linear Models ; Military Personnel ; Parental Leave ; Parenting ; Parents

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a reinforcement program for behavioral skills in postpartum care for couples with their first baby. METHODS: The study used a non-equivalent control group and pretest-posttest design. It was conducted from January 14 to April 10, 2016 at a postpartum care center in D city. It analyzed 43 couples (22 in the experimental group and 21 in the control group.) For data analysis, descriptive statistics, test of homogeneity in pretest, independent t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA were used. RESULTS: For maternal fulfillment of postpartum care and postpartum fatigue, there was no significant difference in the interaction between group and time. In terms of parent-newborns attachment, the interaction between group and time showed a significant difference for mothers (F=13.63, p=.001) and fathers (F=6.51, p=.001). In marital intimacy, the interaction between group and time showed a significant difference for mothers (F=14.40, p<.001) and fathers (F=9.46, p=.004). In parenting stress, the interaction between group and time showed a significant difference for mothers (F=31.8, p<.001) and fathers (F=11.69, p=.001). A significant difference was found for the mothers' postpartum sleeping hours (F=0.14 p=.004). CONCLUSION: This program for behavioral skills in postpartum care, which is based on the information-motivation-behavioral skills model, improves postpartum care, parent-newborn attachment, marital intimacy, parenting stress, and maternal postpartum sleeping, by reinforcing behavioral skills required for postpartum care.
Child ; Child Care ; Family Characteristics ; Fathers ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parenting ; Parents ; Parturition ; Postnatal Care ; Postpartum Period ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on aggressive behavior in twin children, and to provide clues for further exploring the causal relationship between such factors and aggressive behavior. METHODS: A questionnaire was used to investigate aggressive behavior, temperament type and parenting style among 261 twin children aged 4-12.8 years. The Holzinger method and the maximum likelihood method were used to construct a structural equation model for the estimation of heritability. Binary logistic regression analysis, multivariate linear regression analysis and general linear model analysis were used to analyze the association between aggressive behavior and environmental factors in twin children. RESULTS: The heritability of aggressive behavior was 44.4% in twin children and the score of aggressive behavior showed moderate heritability (60.9% in boys and 65.6% in girls). The multivariate analysis showed that the score of aggressive behavior in twin children was affected by the mother's emotional warmth/understanding, the mother's punishment/severity and the father's overprotection (P<0.05). There was an interaction between the mother's emotional warmth/understanding and the father's overprotection (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Both genetic and environmental factors have influence on children's aggressive behavior, and parenting style is the main environmental factor affecting the aggressive behavior of twin children.
Child ; Child Behavior ; Child, Preschool ; Fathers ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mothers ; Parenting ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Twins