Development and psychometric properties of the Chinese Invalidating Family Scale

The present study aims to develop the Chinese Invalidating Family Scale (CIFS) and examine its psychometric properties. The CIFS comprises two parts that measure the degree (Part 1) and types (Part 2) of family invalidation. Study 1 explored the structure and reliability of the CIFS using data from Sample 1 (N = 1323; Mage  = 26.3) and Sample 2 (N = 152; Mage  = 25.1). Part 1 of the CIFS is separated into father (20 items) and mother (27 items) subscales. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors for the father subscale and five factors for the mother subscale. The shared factors are neglect, denial, emotional dysregulation, and overemphasis on achievements, while psychological control is the unique dimension for Mother subscale. Part 2 includes five items assessing the types of family environment. Results indicated acceptable to good reliability of the CIFS, with Cronbach's α higher than 0.60, split-half reliability higher than 0.70, ICCs higher than 0.70, and high criterion-related validity. Study 2 examined the structure and the validity of Part 1 with Sample 3 (N = 2282; Mage  = 19.90) through confirmatory factor analysis. Part 1 showed good construct validity (RMSEAs = 0.05, GFI, NFI, CFI, and AGFI >0.90) and acceptable convergent validity (AVE >0.36, CR >0.76). Overall, the CIFS is a promisingly stable and valid tool to evaluate the invalidating family environment in Chinese culture.

The Effects of Chinese Parenting Belief on Preschoolers' Temperament and Secure Attachment

In the past, there were a few studies investigating the effects of parenting belief on preschoolers' temperament and secure attachment. There were some inconsistencies; some effects were also unclear. A total of 2164 parents of three-year-old preschoolers were selected for a panel study named National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care. At first, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine construct validity of Chinese parenting belief, preschoolers' temperament, and secure attachment. Consecutively, the effects of Chinese parenting belief on preschoolers' temperament and secure attachment were investigated through structural equation modeling. Results showed: (1) construct validity of Chinese parenting belief (composed of Guan, Jiao, achievement, and Chi beliefs), preschoolers' temperament (composed of extraversion, effortful control, and negative affection temperament) and secure attachment were good. (2) The Guan belief showed no effects on all temperaments and secure attachment. (3) Only Jiao belief contributed to the development of extraversion, effortful control, negative affection, and secure attachment. (4) The Achievement belief had a detrimental effect on the development of secure attachment, but it had no effects on others. (5) The Chi belief can increase the development of negative affection temperament, but it had no effects on the rest.

Effect of maternal parenting style on child behaviour and its management strategies in dental office: A pilot study

AIM

To evaluate the effect of maternal parenting style on child behaviour and consequent management strategies in dental office.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty child-mother pairs were included in the study. Before the start of the treatment, Maternal parenting style was evaluated utilising Primary Caregivers Practices Report, while child behaviour along with his/her perception towards dental treatment were observed using Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale and Sound Eye Motor scale, respectively. Also the behaviour management strategy utilised for the child was noted and its correlation to both parenting style and child behaviour was evaluated.

RESULTS

A statistically significant correlation (p-value = 0.00) was observed between the maternal parenting style and child behaviour displayed during dental treatment. Also, a positive correlation (p-value = 0.00) was observed between behaviour displayed by the children and behaviour management strategy used in the dental operatory.

CONCLUSION

The clinicians can predict the type of behaviour the child might display and the behaviour management strategy to be utilised for a specific child based on the maternal parenting style.

The protective role of mindful parenting against child maltreatment and aggressive behavior: an exploratory study among Chinese parent-adolescent dyads

BACKGROUND

It is well-established that child maltreatment practiced by parents is associated with adolescent aggression. Emerging evidence has suggested that higher levels of mindful parenting are associated with fewer negative parenting practices. However, the relationships among mindful parenting, child maltreatment, and adolescent aggression remain unclear.

AIM

To examine the association between mindful parenting, child maltreatment, and adolescent aggressive behavior among Chinese parent-adolescent dyads.

METHODS

Survey data from 554 Chinese parent-adolescent dyads were used for the analysis. Parents reported mindful parenting, and adolescents reported three forms of child maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, psychological aggression, and neglect) by their parents and aggressive behavior. Path models were used to analyze whether higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with decreased likelihood of parent-to-adolescent maltreatment that were further related to lower levels of adolescent aggression.

RESULTS

Mindful parenting and its two factors (i.e., interaction with full attention and compassion and acceptance) were associated with lower likelihood of physical abuse and psychological aggression, which were related to decreased levels of adolescent aggressive behavior. Stratified analyses by parent gender showed that the path from interaction with full attention to adolescent aggression through psychological aggression was also significant or marginally significant in both mother-adolescent and father-adolescent dyads. Stratified analyses by adolescent gender demonstrated that the paths from interaction with full attention to physical abuse and psychological aggression were significant, which were also significantly correlated with adolescent aggression among male adolescents, whereas the mindful parenting-child maltreatment-adolescent aggression paths were not significant among female adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings contributed to the existing literature by assessing mindful parenting as a multifaceted construct and exploring the gender differences in the relationships. Gender-tailored interventions to improve mindful parenting, specifically focusing on the parents' ability of interacting with adolescents providing full attention, compassion, and acceptance may work towards preventing child maltreatment and promoting adolescent behavioral health.

Resting Heart Rate Mediates the Relationship between Parenting Style and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Chinese Children

Despite increasing knowledge of social and biological risk factors for callous-unemotional (CU) traits, relatively less is known about how these two sets of risk factors combine to affect these traits. The current longitudinal study investigated pathways from parenting style to CU traits via resting heart rate in a three-year project. Parents of 382 children completed the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire at Time 1 (children Mean age = 9.06, SD = 0.94, range = 7-11 years), with the heart rate data collected at Time 2 (M = 10.16, SD = 0.93, range = 8-13 years) and CU traits assessed at Time 3 (M = 11.06, SD = 0.94, range = 9-13 years). We found that parenting style and CU traits were associated with resting heart rate, and that structural equation modeling showed resting heart rate to partially mediate the effect of parenting style on CU traits. Specifically, higher levels of authoritarian parenting were associated with lower resting heart rate, which in turn was linked to higher level of CU traits. On the contrary, children in the context of authoritative parenting showed relatively higher resting heart rate, which was predictive of lower CU traits. Overall, findings have implications for understanding the etiology of CU traits in children and developing effective prevention programs for children with affective deficits.

A systematic review of human paternal oxytocin: Insights into the methodology and what we know so far

With the consolidation of fathers' engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers was carried. The literature search on PubMed and Scopus yielded 133 records. Twenty-four studies were included and analyzed. Significant variability emerged in OT methodology, including laboratory tasks, assessment methods, and outcome measures. Fathers' OT levels appear to increase after childbirth. OT was significantly correlated with less hostility and with the quality of paternal physical stimulation in play interactions, but not with paternal sensitivity. Fathers' and children's OT levels were significantly correlated in a limited subset of studies, intriguingly suggesting that cross-generational OT regulation may occur during the early years of life. This study highlights relevant issues and limitations of peripheral OT assessment in human subjects, especially in fathers. Although the study of paternal neuroendocrinology appears promising, coping with these issues requires dedicated efforts and methodological suggestions are provided to guide future advances in this field.

Parenting Styles and Child's Well-Being: The Mediating Role of the Perceived Parental Stress

In the last decades, consensus from laymen, scholars, and policy-makers has emphasized the role of child-parent relationships to promote child’s development and positive well-being. Parenting style was claimed as one of the crucial factors for the child’s positive adjustment. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles and child’s difficulties. The mediational role of parent’s perception of a difficult child on the above mentioned relation was taken into account. The study was carried out on a sample of 459 couples including mothers (n = 459) and fathers (n = 459) of children aged 2 to 10 years old who filled in the Parenting Styles & Dimensions Questionnaire short version, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parenting Stress Index-short form. Main findings indicated that authoritative style was associated with less child’s maladjustment, while the authoritarian one showed the opposite association. These relationships were partially mediated by the perception of a difficult child, which partially explained the link between parenting style and child’s problems. Above and beyond the role of parent’s perception as a difficult child, parenting styles had an important effect on child’s difficulties. Future studies should replicate these results with other samples, use the spouse version of the parenting styles, control the effect of socio-economic status and other variables related to family functioning, as well as to consider the child’s perception regarding parents’ parenting style.

Predictors of Resilience Among Parents of Children with Cancer: Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

Resilience is an ability to overcome adversities in response to a potentially traumatic event. It relieves parents’ discomfort and builds personal capacity when facing a stressful situation like childhood cancer. Therefore, the study’s objective is to assess the magnitude of resilience and its predictors among the parents of children with cancer at Jimma medical center, Ethiopia, 2020.

Methods

The institutional-based cross-sectional design was employed on 126 parents of children with cancer at Jimma Medical Center. All study populations who attend the hospital from February 25 to April 25, 2020, and fulfill the inclusion criteria were included. Data were entered into Epi data version 4.6.0.2 and analyzed by SPSS version 25. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the study variables. Furthermore, linear regression analysis was calculated to assess predictors of resilience.

Results

The level of resilience among parents’ children with cancer were a mean scored 51.41±12.02. In this study, factors associated with resilience were receiving support from friends (β=5.67, 95% CI=1.58, 9.77; P=0.007), attend recreational activities (β=13.8, 95% CI=5.32, 22.37; P=0.03) and receiving health information from health care professionals (β=6.37; 95% CI= (1.75, 11.00), P=0.007), parents depression (β= −0.827, 95% CI= (−1.619,-0.034), P=0.041) and parents stress (β =−0.88,95% CI (−1.54,-0.23), P=0.031).

Conclusion

The magnitude of resilience among parents of children with cancer was low relative to other studies. Support from friends, attending recreational activities, and receiving health information from health care professionals were positively associated with resilience. In contrast, parents’ depression and stress were negatively associated with resilience.

Caregivers' Grit Moderates the Relationship Between Children's Executive Function and Aggression

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown that the impairment of executive function is positively related to aggression in children and adolescents. What is worth investigating is the moderator of such a relationship so that aggressive behavior can be reduced effectively in those who have executive function problems. The present study examined the association between executive function and two major subtypes of aggression (proactive and reactive aggression) and whether their caregivers' grit (perseverance) moderated such relationship.

METHOD

Executive function and reactive and proactive aggression were assessed in 254 children and adolescents aged 8-19 years old, and their caregivers' grit was measured.

RESULTS

Results show that caregivers' grit plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between children's executive function and proactive aggression after controlling for the covariates including the children's age, gender, and family income. Specifically, children's executive function became more negatively associated with proactive aggression when caregivers' grit was high while the association was positive when it was low. On the other hand, the association between children's executive function and reactive aggression did not vary across different levels of caregivers' grit.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that proactive aggression may be reduced in those who have better executive function by enhancing their caregivers' grit, which inform the design of interventions in adjunct with the current approach (e.g., executive function training) to reduce aggression in children and adolescents in the community.

Role of Parenting Style in Children's Behavioral Problems through the Transition from Preschool to Elementary School According to Gender in Japan

While ineffective discipline can be attributed to authoritarian and permissive parenting styles, little research has examined the role of gender in the association between parenting style and early childhood behavioral problems. Thus, this study aimed to clarify the effects of authoritarian and permissive parenting on children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors during the preschool-to-elementary-school transition according to gender in Japan. A sample of 1668 Japanese children (853 boys and 815 girls) were followed longitudinally over one-year intervals, and assessed based on parenting styles (the Parenting Scale), children’s behavioral problems (the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), and family characteristics. Multivariate analyses revealed that, when analyzed by gender, authoritarian discipline influenced externalizing problems in boys (β = 0.048, p = 0.047) and girls (β = 0.067, p = 0.023), while permissive discipline influenced externalizing problems in boys only (β = 0.049, p = 0.038). The results document the relationship between family processes and the development of disruptive behavior disorders in children. Support for parents employing such child-rearing styles in early childhood may be effective in reducing school maladjustment.

The Role of the Broader Autism Phenotype and Environmental Stressors in the Adjustment of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Taiwan and the United Kingdom

The influence of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) on the adjustment of siblings of children with autism has previously been researched mainly in Western cultures. The present research evaluated a diathesis-stress model of sibling adjustment using a questionnaire study including 80 and 75 mother-typically developing sibling dyads in Taiwan and the United Kingdom (UK). UK siblings reported elevated adjustment difficulties compared to the Taiwanese sample and to normative data. Whilst higher BAP levels were generally associated with greater adjustment difficulties, differences were found across cultures and respondents. Although significant diathesis-stress interactions were found, these were in the opposite direction from those predicted by the model, and differed across cultural settings. Implications for culturally-sensitive sibling support are considered.

THE QUALITY OF FATHER-CHILD ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE PLAY AND TODDLERS' AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IN CHINA

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the quality of early father-child rough-and-tumble play (RTP) on toddler aggressive behaviors and more fully understand how child, mother, and father characteristics were associated with higher quality father-child RTP among contemporary urban Chinese families. Participants included 42 families in Changsha, China. Play observations of fathers and their children were coded for RTP quality. The specific RTP quality of father-child reciprocity of dominance was associated with fewer toddler aggressive behaviors, as rated by both fathers and mothers. Mothers' democratic parenting attitudes were associated with higher quality father-child RTP. These findings suggest that higher quality father-child RTP may be one way in which some fathers influence children's expression of aggressive behaviors, and the quality of father-child RTP may be influenced by the broader family, social, and cultural contexts.

Harsh parenting and academic achievement in Chinese adolescents: Potential mediating roles of effortful control and classroom engagement

This study examined (a) the potential mediating roles of effortful control and classroom engagement in the association between harsh parenting and adolescent academic achievement, and (b) the potential moderating role of gender. Sixth through eighth graders in rural China (n=815, mean age=12.55years) reported on harsh parenting, effortful control, and classroom engagement. Parents also reported on each other's harsh parenting. Academic achievement was assessed by students' test scores and teacher-rated academic performance. Results of structural equation modeling revealed gender differences in patterns of association among the model variables. Harsh parenting was negatively and directly associated with academic achievement for both boys and girls. It was also negatively and indirectly associated with academic achievement via effortful control and classroom engagement sequentially, forming a common indirect "path" for boys and girls. The indirect negative effect of harsh parenting on boys' academic achievement was mainly realized through the mediator of effortful control, whereas this same indirect effect for girls was mainly realized through the mediator of classroom engagement. Jointly, effortful control and classroom engagement precipitates more indirect effects for boys than for girls in the association between harsh parenting and academic achievement. The discussion analyzes the potential "paths" from harsh parenting to adolescent academic achievement, as well as gender differences in these "paths." The current study has implications for teachers and parents eager to improve students' classroom engagement and academic achievement.

Harsh parenting and peer acceptance in Chinese early adolescents: Three child aggression subtypes as mediators and child gender as moderator

This study examined the mediating roles of three types of child aggression in the relation between harsh parenting and Chinese early adolescents' peer acceptance as well as the moderating role of child gender on this indirect relation. 833 children (mean age=13.58, 352 girls) with their parents were recruited as participants from two junior high schools in Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. The results showed that paternal harsh parenting was only associated with boys' aggressive behaviors and maternal harsh parenting was only associated with boys' and girls' verbal aggression. Adolescents' verbal and relational aggressions were negatively associated with their peer acceptance. Verbal aggression was more strongly and negatively associated with girls' peer acceptance. The results imply that in the Chinese cultural context, paternal harsh parenting may compromise boys' peer acceptance through boys' verbal and relational aggression as mediators, whereas maternal harsh parenting may impair children's peer acceptance through children's verbal aggression as a mediator, especially for girls. These results provide a theoretical basis for ameliorating the negative effect of harsh parenting on early adolescents' peer acceptance by reducing their aggressive behaviors, with different strategies between boys and girls.

Relations between Chinese mothers' parenting practices and social withdrawal in early childhood

Researchers have identified specific parenting practices used by parents of preschoolers in mainland China (e.g., physical coercion, overprotection, shaming, directiveness, encouragement of modesty). Some of the intrusive practices have been linked to social withdrawal in western societies (e.g., United States, Canada). It seemed important to examine these associations in China because recent research suggests that young Chinese children who exhibit wariness in peer settings may be at risk for negative outcomes such as peer rejection. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relation between Chinese parenting practices and preschoolers' social withdrawal. Mothers of preschool-age children from mainland China ( N = 446) completed self-report parenting questionnaires. Teachers rated children's reticent, solitary-passive, solitary-active, and modest behaviors. Results showed that (a) maternal directiveness was positively associated with reticent behavior in girls and negatively associated with solitary-passive behavior in boys, (b) maternal overprotection, for girls, was positively related to both reticent behavior and solitary-passive behavior, and negatively related to modest behavior, (c) coercion was positively associated with solitary-active and reticent behavior in girls, and (d) shaming was positively related to all forms of withdrawn behaviors in boys and girls, as well as positively related to modest behavior in boys.

Moderation of Harsh Parenting on Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Child and Adolescent Deviant Peer Affiliation: A Longitudinal Twin Study

Affiliation with deviant peers is associated with biologically influenced personal attributes, and is itself a major contributor to growth in antisocial behavior over childhood and adolescence. Several studies have shown that variance in child and adolescent deviant peer affiliation includes genetic and non-genetic influences, but none have examined longitudinal genetic and environmental stability or change within the context of harsh parenting. To address this gap, we tested the moderating role of harsh parenting on genetic and environmental stability or change of deviant peer affiliation in a longitudinal (spanning one and a half years) study of Chinese child and adolescent twin pairs (N = 993, 52.0% female). Using multiple informants (child- and parent-reports) and measurement methods to minimize rater bias, we found that individual differences in deviant peer affiliation at each assessment were similarly explained by moderate genetic and nonshared environmental variance. The longitudinal stability and change of deviant peer affiliation were explained by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. The results also revealed that the genetic variance for deviant peer affiliation is higher in the families with harsher parenting. This amplified genetic risk underscores the role of harsh parenting in the selection and socialization process of deviant peer relationships.

Acculturation and Parenting in First-Generation Chinese Immigrants in the United Kingdom

This study examined acculturation and parenting among 37 first-generation Chinese immigrant parents in the United Kingdom. The findings showed that these parents still felt stronger affiliation with the Chinese than with the English culture. There were also significant positive associations between their affiliation to Chinese culture and their Chinese-specific parenting as well as between their affiliation to English culture and authoritative parenting. However, the length of their U.K. residence did not affect their Chinese cultural identity or affiliation. These findings showed the strong cultural identity of Chinese immigrants to Britain and suggested that the parenting of Chinese immigrant parents may be modified in the course of acculturation.

Children’s emotional expressivity and teacher perceptions of social competence

Previous research suggests that adult perceptions of children’s social competence may vary depending on the socialization goals in a given cultural context. There is also ample evidence of cultural differences in values concerning emotional display, with East Asian collectivistic contexts favoring restraint and Western individualistic contexts favoring open expression of internal states. The present study examined an individualistic versus collectivistic comparison in the links between children’s emotional expressivity and teacher evaluations of their social competence. A sample of 127 Korean, Asian American (AA) and European American (EA) preschoolers participated in emotion eliciting tasks and were rated by their teachers on three dimensions of social competence (peer acceptance, prosocial behavior, and antisocial behavior). Moderation analyses revealed that for Korean children, sadness and happiness expressivity were associated with higher antisocial behavior scores, but these associations were reversed or not significant for EAs. For AA children, anger display was associated with lower ratings of peer acceptance and prosocial behavior, but this link did not hold for their EA counterparts. Overall, there was some support for the hypotheses that expressivity was related to lower teacher perceptions of child social competence for a collectivistic group (AA and Korean) but not for an individualistic group (EA). Thus, these findings indicate cultural group differences in teacher perceptions and values of children’s emotion expressivity.

Are Chinese Children More Compliant? Examination of the Cultural Difference in Observed Maternal Control and Child Compliance

Children themselves play active roles in shaping their developmental trajectories. The constant interplay of a wide range of biological, familial, social, and cultural factors shapes development. In this study, we examined the links between maternal control and 5- to 7-year-old children’s compliance in a cross-cultural sample ( N = 89: 30 Chinese in Taiwan, 30 Chinese immigrants in the United Kingdom, and 29 nonimmigrant White English in the United Kingdom) using observational data. The results showed that the English mothers used less negative control and were more responsive than the Chinese immigrant mothers, and that the English mothers also showed more positive affect than both the Chinese immigrant and Taiwanese mothers. The Taiwanese children showed more situational compliance than the Chinese immigrant children, whereas there were no significant cultural differences in committed compliance and oppositional behaviour. Further regression analyses showed that committed compliance, situational compliance, and oppositional behaviour were associated with different predictors. Converging evidence from both observational tasks showed that committed compliance, moderated by surgency, appeared to increase as children grew older and was negatively influenced by maternal negative control. Different trends emerged for child opposition or noncompliance in the two tasks. In the Etch-a-Sketch task, noncompliance was accounted for by child age and temperament, but not by any maternal behaviour, whereas opposition in the clean-up task was not predicted by child age or temperament but was associated with maternal use of force. Finally, situational compliance could not be predicted by child age and temperament alone, but the addition of cultural group and maternal control significantly increased the prediction of situational compliance. These results suggested different pathways for the development of committed compliance, situational compliance, and opposition.

Longitudinal study on infants' temperament and physical development in Beijing, China

The objective of this longitudinal study is to explore the relationship between temperament and physical development among infants in Beijing, China. A total of 1117 term, normal and singleton infants were followed regularly for 12 months. Body weight and horizontal length were measured at 42 days and monthly from the third to twelfth month of their lives. Infants' temperament was assessed using the revised Chinese infants' temperament scale when the infants were 6 months. There was a significant difference on temperament dimensions between infants' genders (P < 0.05). Infants' weight and length were significantly related to their parents' weight and height. Infants with positive temperaments (easy and intermediate) were heavier than those with negative temperaments (difficult and slow to warm up) (P < 0.05). The horizontal length of boys was related to their temperament categories (P < 0.05). Infants' weight and length were significantly related to their temperament category and parents' weight and height.

Bidirectional Relations between Temperament and Parenting Styles in Chinese Children

The present study examined bidirectional relations between child temperament and parenting styles in a sample (n = 425) of Chinese children during elementary school period (age range = 6 to 9 years at Wave 1). Using two waves (3.8 years apart) of longitudinal data, we tested two hypotheses: (1) whether child temperament (effortful control and anger/frustration) at Wave 1 predicts parenting styles (authoritative and authoritarian parenting) at Wave 2, controlling for Wave 1 parenting; and (2) whether parenting styles at Wave 1 predict Wave 2 temperament, controlling for Wave 1 temperament. We found support for bidirectional relations between temperament and authoritarian parenting, such that higher effortful control and lower anger/frustration were associated with higher authoritarian parenting across time and in both directions. There were no significant cross-time associations between children's temperament and authoritative parenting. These findings extend the previous tests of transactional relations between child temperament and parenting in Chinese children and are consistent with the cultural values toward effortful control and control of anger/frustration in Chinese society.

Nature and nurturing: parenting in the context of child temperament

Accounting for both bidirectional and interactive effects between parenting and child temperament can fine-tune theoretical models of the role of parenting and temperament in children's development of adjustment problems. Evidence for bidirectional and interactive effects between parenting and children's characteristics of frustration, fear, self-regulation, and impulsivity was reviewed, and an overall model of children's individual differences in response to parenting is proposed. In general, children high in frustration, impulsivity and low in effortful control are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of negative parenting, while in turn, many negative parenting behaviors predict increases in these characteristics. Frustration, fearfulness, and effortful control also appear to elicit parenting behaviors that can predict increases in these characteristics. Irritability renders children more susceptible to negative parenting behaviors. Fearfulness operates in a very complex manner, sometimes increasing children's responses to parenting behaviors and sometimes mitigating them and apparently operating differently across gender. Important directions for future research include the use of study designs and analytic approaches that account for the direction of effects and for developmental changes in parenting and temperament over time.

Attributions and Attitudes of Mothers and Fathers in China

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined mothers' and fathers' attributions and attitudes related to parenting in China. DESIGN: Interviews were conducted with 241 pairs of parents to obtain maternal and paternal reports of attributions regarding successes and failures in parent-child interactions and on progressive versus authoritarian attitudes about parenting. RESULTS: Mothers' mean levels of attributions and attitudes did not differ significantly from fathers' mean levels of attributions and attitudes. Significant correlations were found between mothers' and fathers' attributions regarding uncontrollable success, authoritarian attitudes, and modernity of attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Supporting the cultural evolutionary view that drastic social changes bring about non-conforming and individualistic behavioral tendencies, these findings rectify and expand the existing literature portraying Chinese parenting as uniformly Confucian and traditional.

Parenting styles, parental response to child emotion, and family emotional responsiveness are related to child emotional eating

The aim of the present study was to examine the relations of parenting style, parent response to negative child emotion, and family emotional expressiveness and support to child emotional eating. Mothers (N=450) completed questionnaires and their 6-8-year-old children (N=450) were interviewed. Results showed that emotional eating was negatively predicted by authoritative parenting style and family open expression of affection and emotion, and positively predicted by parent minimizing response to child negative emotion. Results suggest the need for early prevention/intervention efforts directed to these parenting and family variables.

Maternal depression and socio-economic status moderate the parenting style/child obesity association

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to test the moderating influence of two risk factors, maternal depression and socio-economic status (SES), on the association between authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and child obesity.

DESIGN

Correlational, cross-sectional study. Parenting style was measured with the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). Maternal depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). BMI-for-age percentile was used to categorize children by weight status (children with BMI-for-age > or = 95th percentile were classified as obese). SES was computed from parent education and occupational status using the four-factor Hollingshead index.

SETTING

Rural public schools in a mid-western state in the USA.

SUBJECTS

One hundred and seventy-six mothers of first-grade children (ninety-one boys, eighty-five girls) enrolled in rural public schools.

RESULTS

Both maternal depression and SES were found to moderate the permissive parenting style/child obesity association, but not the authoritarian/child obesity association. For depressed mothers, but not for non-depressed mothers, more permissive parenting was predictive of child obesity. Similarly more permissive parenting was predictive of child obesity among higher SES mothers, but not for lower SES mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal depression and SES interact with permissive parenting style to predict child obesity. Future research should examine the relationship among these variables using a longitudinal design.

Relations of parenting style to Chinese children's effortful control, ego resilience, and maladjustment

The purpose of the study was to examine the relations of authoritative parenting and corporal punishment to Chinese first and second graders' effortful control (EC), impulsivity, ego resilience, and maladjustment, as well as mediating relations. A parent and teacher reported on children's EC, impulsivity, and ego resilience; parents reported on children's internalizing symptoms and their own parenting, and teachers and peers reported on children's externalizing symptoms. Authoritative parenting and low corporal punishment predicted high EC, and EC mediated the relation between parenting and externalizing problems. In addition, impulsivity mediated the relation of corporal punishment to externalizing problems. The relation of parenting to children's ego resilience was mediated by EC and/or impulsivity, and ego resilience mediated the relations of EC and impulsivity to internalizing problems.

Relations of parenting and temperament to Chinese children's experience of negative life events, coping efficacy, and externalizing problems

The relations of parenting and temperament (effortful control and anger/frustration) to children's externalizing problems were examined in a 3.8-year longitudinal study of 425 native Chinese children (6-9 years) from Beijing. Children's experience of negative life events and coping efficacy were examined as mediators in the parenting- and temperament-externalizing relations. Parents reported on their own parenting. Parents and teachers rated temperament. Children reported on negative life events and coping efficacy. Parents, teachers, children, or peers rated children's externalizing problems. Authoritative and authoritarian parenting and anger/frustration uniquely predicted externalizing problems. The relation between authoritarian parenting and externalizing was mediated by children's coping efficacy and negative school events. The results suggest there is some cross-cultural universality in the developmental pathways for externalizing problems.

Child maltreatment: a global issue

PURPOSE

This article explains why children with speech and language impairments are at increased risk for having experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma and how maltreatment may vary across cultures.

METHOD

International literature on maltreatment is reviewed in order to provide frameworks for identifying what constitutes maltreatment across cultures; how cultural variations in discipline practices impact maltreatment; and professionals' roles in treatment when they encounter children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma.

CONCLUSION

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are required to document and report any instance of suspected child abuse. To intervene effectively with children and families from diverse cultures who experience maltreatment, professionals must understand when a practice causes harm and be able to modify childrearing practices in culturally acceptable ways.

Aversive parenting in China: associations with child physical and relational aggression

This study assessed the combined and differential contributions of Chinese mothers and fathers (in terms of spouse-reported physically coercive and psychologically controlling parenting) to the development of peer-reported physical and relational aggression in their preschool-age children (mean age of 5 years). Results of the two-group (boys and girls) latent sum and difference structural equation model showed that combined parenting effects were slightly more prevalent than differential effects in predicting aggression. Furthermore, physical coercion was predictive of aggression in boys whereas psychological control was primarily associated with aggression in girls. Findings extend our understanding of relational aggression and the meaning of aversive parenting, particularly within the Chinese cultural context.