Ruiqian Li^1,*, Peibing Zheng¹, Mengxin Yan¹, Xinyi Zhou², Ziyu Wu¹, Yiting Wang¹

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.5, pp. 681-688, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.069421 - 24 October 2025

Abstract This study examined the relationship between paternal overprotective parenting and problem behaviors of preschool children, and maternal overprotective attitudes and parenting stress mediation of that relationship. Data were collected from 265 families, including parents and preschool children (ages 3–6). The results revealed that paternal overprotective attitudes significantly influenced maternal overprotective attitudes and maternal parenting stress. Maternal overprotective attitudes, in turn, increased maternal parenting stress, exacerbated children’s problem behaviors. Paternal overprotective attitudes indirectly contributed to these behaviors through both maternal overprotective attitudes and parenting stress. The effect was more pronounced on boy than girl younger than More >

Lan Luo¹, Yun Shen¹, Zuntao Gu², Linbing Wang¹, Shijian Sun^3,*

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.5, pp. 713-721, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.066529 - 24 October 2025

Abstract This cross-sectional study examined how parenting styles influence college students’ romantic attitudes through para-social relationships. A total of 571 college students (females = 71.2%) completed the Short-form Parenting Style Scale, the Para-social Relationship Scale, and the Questionnaire on College Students’ View of Marriage and Love. Mediation was examined with bootstrap-corrected structural equation modelling (5000 resamples). Results indicated that maternal rejection (indirect effect β = −0.019, 95% CI = −0.055–−0.001, p < 0.05) and overprotection (indirect effect β = −0.02, 95% CI = −0.055–−0.001, p < 0.05) indirectly undermined college students’ marriage views by intensifying para-social relationships, whereas More >

Jiaqi Lu¹, Fang Wang^2,*

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.5, pp. 651-659, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.066088 - 24 October 2025

Abstract This study explores parenting and family adjustment profile effects on toddler socioemotional competence by the underlying mechanisms of effortful control. Participants were Chinese parent caregivers (N = 448) of 448 toddlers aged 15–36 months. They completed measures of parenting and family adjustment, toddler socioemotional competence, and effortful control. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified three family profiles—Strict-Detached, Constrained-Collaborative, and Harmonious-Aligned. These three profiles of parenting and family adjustment directly affect toddler socioemotional competence through variations in emotional support, discipline strategies, and parent–child interactions. Effortful control mediates this relationship of parenting and family adjustment and toddler socioemotional More >

Jin Peng, Jiabei He^*, Na Li^*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.7, pp. 953-977, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.066405 - 31 July 2025

Abstract Background: Parenting exerts a profound influence on children’s mental health and behavioral development. Despite the high prevalence of children’s emotional and behavioral problems (CEBP) in China, evidence-based parenting interventions remain scarcely investigated as preventive public health strategies. This pilot study evaluated a school-based intervention for preventing CEBP. Methods: We employed a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching (PSM) to select 28 families (intervention: n = 13; control: n = 15) from two matched urban primary schools. Quantitative data from seven validated scales were analyzed using t-tests and ANCOVA. Qualitative insights were derived from 10 semi-structured interviews… More >

Qiulan Gu^1,2, Mei Zhao^1,2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 607-623, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.062796 - 05 June 2025

Abstract Objectives: With the widespread adoption of smartphones, parental phubbing behaviors have become increasingly prevalent, potentially affecting preschool children’s development. Current research primarily focuses on adolescent populations, while the mechanisms through which parental phubbing and authoritarian parenting style influence preschool children’s behavioral problems within the Chinese cultural context remain to be explored. Our investigation seeks to examine the factors contributing to behavioral difficulties among children of preschool age and provide theoretical guidance for prevention. Methods: In our research, we utilized a convenience sampling approach to collect data from parents whose children (n = 612) were between… More >

Jun Zhang^1,#,*, Li Wang^1,#, Shan Liu¹, Yurong Yang², Jingyi Fan³, Yijia Zhang¹

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 287-302, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.060064 - 31 March 2025

Abstract Background: Parents of children with autism are susceptible to parenting burnout due to tremendous parenting burden and parenting challenges. Parenting burnout has a detrimental effect on both children with autism and their parents. However, the underlying mechanisms that lead to parenting burnout remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parenting stress and parenting burnout, along with the serial mediation effect of social support and coping strategies in the context of families with autistic children. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 231 parents of autistic children in four autism facilities located in… More >

Dexian Li¹, Wencan Li², Xin Lin^3,*, Xingchen Zhu^4,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 1-17, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2024.058744 - 31 January 2025

Abstract Background: The phenomenon of academic anxiety has been demonstrated to exert a considerable influence on students’ academic engagement, leading to the emergence of a phenomenon known as “learned helplessness” and undermining the self-confidence and motivation of high school students. Using acceptance-rejection theory, this study elucidated how a rejective parenting style affects Chinese high school students’ academic anxiety and explored the urban-rural heterogeneity of this relationship. Methods: Data were analyzed using a stratified whole-cluster random sampling method. There are a total of 30,000 high school students in the three regions of northern and central China (from… More >

Dawei Wang^1,#, Ranran Wang^2,#, Peng Yu^1,2,*, Xiangyin Meng², Yixin Hu^1,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.8, pp. 643-650, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2024.052885 - 30 August 2024

Abstract Background: Adolescent anxiety has a significant impact on physical and mental health, and overparenting is recognized as one of the major factors affecting adolescent anxiety. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between overparenting and adolescent anxiety, while also examining the mediating role of cognitive avoidance. Methods: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey with 1931 valid responses using the Overparenting Scale, the Cognitive Avoidance Scale, and the Anxiety Self-Rating Scale. A structural equation modelling approach was used to test the mediating role of cognitive avoidance between overparenting and adolescent anxiety and… More >

Yan Jin, Wei Chen^*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.3, pp. 189-198, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2023.045331 - 08 April 2024

Abstract An authoritative parenting style has been shown to promote children’s emotion regulation in European-American family studies. However, little is known about how sleep problems and the child’s sibling status in Chinese families affect this relationship. Based on family system theory, this study attempts to better understand the relationship between authoritative parenting style and emotion regulation. Mothers of preschool children in Chinese kindergartens completed questionnaires about their children’s sleep habits, their authoritative parenting styles, and children’s emotion regulation. A total of 531 children participated in this study. Results showed that authoritative parenting was positively associated with… More >

Maria Dahlberg^1,*, Johanna Nordmyr¹, Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdottir², Anna K. Forsman¹

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.25, No.4, pp. 505-537, 2023, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2023.020833 - 01 March 2023

Abstract The first years of life and the family context are key to the promotion and protection of children’s health and wellbeing, emphasizing the need for interventions aimed to support families with young children. This review aimed to explore the effectiveness of early childhood interventions developed for promoting mental health and parenting among families with young children in the Nordic countries. Six electronic databases were systematically searched, and 20 articles covering 16 studies applying various quantitative and qualitative methods met the study inclusion criteria. The studied interventions were assessed as universal health-promoting interventions and health-promoting interventions… More >