Mothers’ perceptions of children’s emotional behaviour problems and parenting sense of competence: The mediating role of maternal meta-emotion philosophy

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We investigated the relationship between mothers’ perceptions of their children’s emotional behaviour problems and their parenting sense of competence, as well as the mediating effect of maternal meta-emotion philosophy in this connection. Participants were 349 mothers of 4- to 17-year-old children (female children = 40.7%, mean age = 8.24 years, SD = 2.95 years). The mothers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy Scale, and the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. Structural equation modelling and simple mediation analyses results showed that mothers’ perceptions of their children’s problem behaviours were linked to higher emotion dimissing and lower parenting sense of competence. Specifically, emotion dimissing mediated the relationship between children’s problem behaviours and parenting sense of competence by the mothers. Furthermore, mothers’ perceptions of their children’s prosocial behaviours were associated with both higher emotion coaching and parenting sense of competence. Emotion coaching mediated the relationship between children’s prosocial behaviours and parenting sense of competence for higher sense of competence by the mothers. Our findings suggest that mothers’ perceptions of children’s emotional behaviour problems may explain their parenting sense of competence through their parenting philosophy. By prioritising their maternal meta-emotion philosophy when dealing with their children’s emotional behaviour problems, mothers can enhance their parenting sense of competence.