Emotion Dysregulation Mediates Relations Between Chinese Parents’ Histories of Childhood Emotional Abuse and Parenting Stress: A Dyadic Data Analysis

Abstract

SYNOPSISObjective. This study focused on the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of parents’ histories of childhood emotional abuse and emotion dysregulation on parenting stress in a sample of school-age children’s fathers and mothers in Mainland China. Design. One hundred ninety-four Chinese couples participated. Structural equation modeling within the framework of the actor–partner interdependence mediation model was used to assess whether emotion dysregulation mediates relations between parents’ childhood emotional abuse and parenting stress of both individuals and their spouses. Results. The childhood emotional abuse of one parent was significantly associated with the parenting stress of both parents through the emotion dysregulation of the parent who was emotionally abused. Conclusions. Links between emotional abuse and parenting stress in the family system are complex, and both parents’ childhood histories of emotional abuse play roles in parenting.