Chain mediating role of anxiety and depression in the relationship between paternal involvement and problem behaviors of rural children

Abstract

Objective To explore the role of anxiety and depression in the relationship between paternal involvement and problem behaviors among rural children, so as to provide a theoretical basis for reducing problem behaviors in this population. Methods Data were derived from the Rural Children′s Mental Health Dataset, collected between March and May 2021. The dataset included responses from 16 primary schools across 7 provinces in China, using the Adolescent Evaluation of Paternal Involvement Questionnaire (Father Version), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, the Children′s Depression Inventory, and the Child Behavior Problem Scale. A total of 2 498 valid questionnaires were collected from rural children. This study focused on 825 rural children in the fifth and sixth grades. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationships among the variables, and the SPSS PROCESS V4.2 macro was used for Bootstrap analysis and chain mediation effect testing. Results Among the 825 rural children, 368 (44.6%) exhibited no anxiety, 256 (31.0%) had mild anxiety, 154 (18.7%) had moderate anxiety, and 47 (5.7%) had severe anxiety. Additionally, 213 children (25.8%) were found to be at a risk of depression. Correlation analysis revealed that paternal involvement was significantly negatively correlated with rural children′s problem behaviors, anxiety, and depression (r＝-0.213,-0.204,-0.391, P<0.01). Problem behaviors were significantly positively correlated with anxiety and depression (r＝0.353, 0.402, P<0.01), and anxiety was significantly positively correlated with depression (r＝0.682, P<0.01). Mediation analysis indicated that the total effect of paternal involvement on problem behaviors was significant (β＝-0.213, P<0.05), as was the direct effect (β＝-0.089, P<0.05). The indirect effect of paternal involvement on problem behaviors, mediated by anxiety and depression, was also significant (β＝-0.124, P<0.05). The chain mediation effect of anxiety and depression accounted for 14.55% of the total effect. Conclusion Increasing paternal involvement can reduce problem behaviors in rural children, with anxiety and depression serving as chain mediators in the relationship between paternal involvement and problem behaviors.

Keywords

rural children / anxiety / depression / paternal involvement / problem behaviors