Household debt and children’s psychological well-being in China: The mediating role of parent–child relations

Abstract

BackgroundHousehold debt is a psychological stressor for those who take the debt on, but it remains unclear whether and how this money-related stressor influences children’s psychological well-being. AimsThe study investigated the association of household debt with children’s psychological well-being and further explored the mediating role of parent–child relations. MethodsData were obtained from two waves (2016 and 2018) of the China Family Panel Studies, with a sample of 1,828 children included. The Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale was applied to measure psychological well-being. Household debt was assessed by absolute and relative amounts of total debt, mortgage debt, and non-mortgage debt. We used positive and negative parent–child interaction to measure parent–child relations. The characteristics of children, parents, and households were included as covariates. ResultsHousehold debt, especially mortgage debt, was positively associated with psychological illnesses among children, and the link was substantially explained by parent–child relations. ConclusionHousehold debt exerted detrimental effects on children’s psychological well-being by jeopardizing parent–child relations in China. Strategies that address the need of vulnerable children are required to reduce the potentially negative psychological well-being outcomes of household debt.