Profiles of maternal and paternal parenting styles in Chinese families: Relations to preschoolers’ psychological adjustment

Abstract

Despite the extensive research on parenting styles in Chinese families, few researchers examined the similarities and differences between maternal and paternal parenting styles in Chinese families. The present study used a person-centered approach to examine the profiles of maternal and paternal parenting styles in a sample of urban Chinese families with preschool-aged children (N = 2776, age = 31–82 months, 52.7% boys), and examined the relations between parenting style profiles and children’s psychological adjustment. Results showed that mothers reported slightly higher authoritative parenting than fathers. Cluster analysis revealed four profiles of maternal and paternal parenting styles: Authoritative Mother and Father (47.25%), Authoritative Father and Authoritarian Mother (15.41%), Authoritative Mother and Authoritarian Father (17.33%), Authoritarian Mother and Father (20.01%). The children with two authoritative parents had the best psychological adjustment, whereas the children with two authoritarian parents had the worst adjustment in both home and school contexts.