Associations Among Father Beliefs, Perceptions, Life Context, Involvement, Child Attachment and School Outcomes in the U. S. and Taiwan

Exploring Attachment Differences Across the Contexts of Sports and Academics: A Qualitative Exploration of Child and Parent Experiences

This study aimed to explore the nature of contextual differences in child-parent attachment relationships and examine how these experiences relate to children's psychological outcomes. A theoretically informed qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 15 participants across four groups of Taiwanese youths and parents, representing different contextual attachment combinations. Data were analyzed using a hybrid thematic analysis approach, integrating both inductive and deductive methods. The findings revealed two key characteristics of secure attachment across contexts: (1) parental timely and sensitive responsiveness enhances children's openness to share personal thoughts, and (2) parental empathic and genuine concern fosters children's empathy. Conversely, insecure attachment across contexts was marked by (1) inappropriate parental responses reducing children's willingness to share their inner feelings, and (2) parental lack of empathy frustrating children and discouraging communication. In addition, parental beliefs about children's achievement behaviors (e.g., expectation primarily centered on academic achievement and viewing athletic achievement as an alternative pathway to higher education) and parenting practices (e.g., performance- vs. mastery-oriented achievement goals, conditional negative regard, and psychological control through invalidating feelings and demeaning the child) significantly influenced children's psychological outcomes, particularly in terms of basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration (autonomy and competence) across academic and sports domains. These findings advance our theoretical understanding of contextual attachment dynamics and provide practical insights for fostering optimal parenting strategies, particularly in academic and sport-related contexts.

How do fathers' educational level contribute to children's school problems? Overparenting and children's gender and surgency in a moderated mediation model

This study aims to investigate (a) the mediating role of overparenting between father's educational level and children's school problems, and (b) the joint moderating role of children's gender and surgency in the indirect relationship between father's educational level and school problems. Participants were 203 school children, 96 boys (47.3%) and 107 girls (52.7%), aged 7-8 years (M = 92.42 months, SD = 3.52). Fathers reported their educational level, age and employment status and their children's gender and number of siblings, as well as their overparenting behaviors by Anticipatory Problem Solving (APS) scale. Teachers informed children's school problems by the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC T-2). Parents together informed their children's surgency levels by a subscale of Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). Results showed that, in girls, the father's educational level was negatively related to the child's school problems via overparenting behaviors, controlling the number of siblings and father's age and employment status. However, among boys, fathers' overparenting protect their shy sons from the risk of a low educational level for school problems. These findings highlight the relevance of considering the gender and surgency to a better understanding of the effects of contextual factors on children's outcomes.

Parental Self-Perception, Parental Investment, and Early Childhood Developmental Outcomes: Evidence From Rural China

Using a three-wave longitudinal survey conducted in 815 households in rural Western China, this study aims to examine the association between parental self-perception and early childhood development and the mediation effect of parental investment on the association between parental self-perception and child development when the sample children are at different ages in the early childhood (18-30, 22-36, and 49-65 months). The results demonstrate that parental self-perception are positively and significantly associated with child social-emotional development in all three ages of childhood (from 18 to 65 months). Positive and significant association between parental self-perception and child cognitive development is found in the ages from 22 to 65 months. In addition, findings of this study show that parental investment plays a mediating role in the association between parental self-perception and child cognitive development. The study calls on policymakers to help to strengthen parental self-perception and parental investment related to early childhood development, which should result in better child development in rural China.

The Predictive Effect of Parental Adult Attachment on Parent-Adolescent Attachment: The Mediating Role of Harsh Parenting

This study examines the relationship between parental adult attachment and parent–adolescent attachment and investigates the mediating role of harsh parenting from the perspective of family systems theory. The sample included adolescents and their parents from 1,030 families in Henan Province, China. Measures included the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment Scale, and Harsh Parenting Scale. The results showed that paternal avoidance negatively predicts father–adolescent and mother–adolescent attachments, while maternal avoidance and maternal anxiety negatively predict father–adolescent attachment and mother–adolescent attachment, respectively. Paternal harsh parenting not only mediated the relationship between paternal adult and father–adolescent attachment but also between paternal adult and mother–adolescent attachment. However, maternal harsh parenting only plays an intermediary role between maternal adult and mother–adolescent attachment. The results of the study show that compared with the adverse effects of maternal adult attachment and maternal harsh parenting on parent–adolescent attachment, paternal avoidance and paternal harsh parenting more negatively affect parent–adolescent attachment, which is not conducive to familial harmony.

Is Parental Attachment Security Contextual? Exploring Context-Specific Child-Parent Attachment Patterns and Psychological Well-Being in Taiwanese Youths

Scant research to date has explored the possibility of context-specific variation in attachment security within a given relationship. In this paper, two cross-sectional studies were designed (1) to develop and validate context-specific attachment scales in Traditional-Chinese and (2) to explore variations in attachment security within a given parental relationship but between the contexts of sport and academics, relating them to global attachment patterns and indicators of psychological well-being. Results indicated that Taiwanese youth can and do perceive contextual variation within a given parental relationship. However, the relationship between such contextual variation and psychological outcomes was complex. Contextual variation may be a meaningful and useful way to explore and think about within-parent attachment fluctuation.

A Critical Exploration of Child-Parent Attachment as a Contextual Construct

Bowlby’s attachment theory has been employed as a broad and integrative framework to explore human wellness across a range of disciplines. Attachment theory has even been labelled one of the last surviving “grand theories” not to have been completely dismissed, replaced, or extensively reworked. However, despite the ubiquitous nature of some of the theory’s fundamental tenets, there are always possibilities for new conceptual development, extension, and revision. In this paper, we critically explore the idea of “context-specific” attachment within parent-child relationships. We briefly outline critical assumptions and key areas of attachment and articulate potential rationale, conceptualization, and relevance of contextual attachment.

Multilevel Analysis of Child and Adolescent Subjective Well-Being Across 14 Countries: Child- and Country-Level Predictors

This study tests an ecological, relationship-based model of children's subjective well-being with 9- to 14-year-old children (n = 25,906) from 14 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Children completed the Children's Worlds survey, a self-report measure of contextual and well-being indicators. Multilevel modeling was used to predict children's well-being (life satisfaction and self-image) at two levels, child (age, gender, home context, family relationships, peer relationships, school context, teacher relationships, and neighborhood quality), and country (gross domestic product and income inequality). Findings indicated that intercepts varied significantly across countries. The majority of variance in children's well-being was attributed to child-level rather than country-level factors. Country-level factors did not strongly predict well-being but marginally improved model fit.

The influence of father involvement in adolescents' overall development in Taiwan

Western Studies show that father involvement is predictive of adolescent development; however, there are few studies that demonstrate this relationship in Chinese cultures, including Taiwan. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of father involvement on adolescents' development in areas of academic achievement, self-esteem, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors in Taiwan. This study utilized dyadic data of 1043 10th graders from wave 5 of a longitudinal study on adolescent development in Taiwan. The study utilized student reports of father involvement, child academic achievement, externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, and self-esteem. Structural equation modeling results indicate father involvement significantly predicts child academic achievement, externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, and self-esteem. Gender analysis shows that male adolescents exhibited more externalizing behaviors, whereas female adolescents exhibited more internalizing behaviors. The findings of this study provide evidence that father involvement is important for the overall wellbeing of adolescents in Chinese cultures.