Intensiveness of Mothering in China and Its Relationship with Preschoolers’ Emotional and Behavioral Competence: The Suppression Effect of Maternal Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Intensive parenting is becoming a prevalent parenting style in China. Parents invest tremendous time, energy, and money in childrearing, whereas the effectiveness of intensive parenting in helping children obtain developmental advantages remains controversial. Using the questionnaire survey, the present study investigates 388 mothers of preschoolers in Shanghai and Jinan, Shandong province, to explore the associations between the intensiveness of mothering, maternal psychological well-being, and preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence. Four distinct patterns of the intensiveness of mothering are identified using latent profile analysis: high-endorsement & high-practice, medium-endorsement & medium-practice, low-endorsement & low practice, and selective-endorsement-and-practice. Maternal psychological well-being suppresses the relationship between the intensiveness of mothering and preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence. The intensiveness of mothering is positively related to preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence after excluding the indirect effect of maternal psychological well-being. In addition, mothers from profiles showing higher levels of the intensiveness of mothering have worse psychological well being, and their preschoolers have lower levels of social-emotional development. The two pathways counteract each other, resulting in a non-significant overall relationship between the intensiveness of mothering and preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence. The present study suggests that mothers may adjust their attitudes and practices toward intensive parenting, actively mediate their psychological well-being, and create a supportive environment for children’s social-emotional development. Families, preschools, and society as a whole are recommended to establish collaborative mechanisms to support mothers’ childrearing and reduce their parenting stress.

Keywords

intensive parenting / maternal psychological well-being / social-emotional development / family education

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2024 Higher Education Press