Abstract
Previous research has suggested that harsh discipline is still prevalent in modern Chinese families and it is necessary to explore the cause and the potential mechanisms of Chinese parental use of harsh discipline. This study examined the mediating effects of parental anxiety in the relations between child negative emotionality and parental harsh discipline in China. Using a sample of 328 Chinese father-mother dyads with their young children, findings revealed that maternal anxiety mediated the relations between child negative emotionality and maternal psychological aggression and corporal punishment, but the mediating effects of paternal anxiety on the relations between child negative emotionality and paternal harsh discipline was not significant. The findings provide an important supplement and extension to previous examinations of the factors associated with Chinese parental use of harsh discipline and its mechanisms.
Highlights
Despite numerous studies have demonstrated that children exposed to parental harsh discipline are at risk for a number of negative developmental outcomes, including aggression, anxiety, and depression (i.e., Fine et al, 2004; Xing et al, 2011; Xing and Wang, 2013), harsh discipline is still the prevalent parental disciplinary technique in modern Chinese families
The results showed that maternal psychological aggression, r = −0.11, p < 0.05, and corporal punishment, r = −0.17, p < 0.01, were negatively associated with family SES
The current study examined the mediating role of parental anxiety in the associations between child negative emotionality and parental harsh discipline in Chinese societies and explored the potential father-mother differences in the mediating mechanisms
Summary
Despite numerous studies have demonstrated that children exposed to parental harsh discipline (e.g., psychological aggression, corporal punishment, and physical abuse) are at risk for a number of negative developmental outcomes, including aggression, anxiety, and depression (i.e., Fine et al, 2004; Xing et al, 2011; Xing and Wang, 2013), harsh discipline is still the prevalent parental disciplinary technique in modern Chinese families. According to a large sample survey conducted in Mainland China (Wang and Liu, 2014), more than 80% of parents with children aged 3–6 reported the use of psychological aggression, and about 70% of parents reported the use of corporal punishment during the previous year. The high prevalence and frequency of harsh discipline in Mainland China and the growing evidence on the negative consequences of such parenting practices necessitate research to determine the causes of harsh discipline. Some research has shown that parental use of harsh discipline is likely heavily dependent on child heritable characteristics, with temperament key among them (Gershoff, 2002). Child temperament traits may influence the types of discipline they receive, a phenomenon referred
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