Linking parent–child relationship to peer relationship based on the parent-peer relationship spillover theory: Evidence from China

Abstract

The parent-peer relationship spillover theory holds that individuals are embedded in various interdependent social systems (e.g., parent-peer systems) and there is a spillover between parent–child and peer relationships. This study applied this theory to explore a direct and indirect (through children’s interpersonal character and academic achievement) linkages between parent–child relationships (i.e., parental time with children, parent–child closeness and conflict) and children’s peer relationships (i.e., peer acceptance and rejection) in China. Participants were 992 fourth- to ninth-graders (48.1% male; Mage = 12.6 years) and both their parents. Multiple sources of information (parent reports, self-ratings, sociometric methods, and achievement data) was used. The results showed that: (1) For the direct linkage, mother–child conflict was positively linked to children’s peer rejection, father–child conflict was negatively linked to children’s peer acceptance. (2) For the indirect linkage, children’s interpersonal character and academic achievement played distinct driving mechanisms linking parent–child relationships to peer relationships. Specifically, the higher levels of mother–child and father-child closeness were related to better interpersonal character of children which, in turn, is associated with peer acceptance. By contrast, the higher levels of mother–child and father-child conflict were linked to children’s lower acceptance and higher rejection from peer through lower levels of academic achievement. These findings support the spillover theory and provide relevant empirical evidence from China, and advance our understanding of parental functioning on children’s peer relationships within Chinese culture.