Chinese Family Research Articles

Genetic and clinical profile of 15 Chinese families with GDAP1-related Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and identification of H256R as a frequent mutation.

Mutations in ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1 (GDAP1) cause axonal or demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) with autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance. In this study, we aim to report the genotypic and phenotypic features of GDAP1-related CMT in a Chinese cohort. Clinical, neurophysiological, genetic data, and available muscle/brain imaging information of 28 CMT patients with GDAP1 variants were retrospectively collected. We identified 16 GDAP1 pathogenic variants, among which two novel variants c.980dup(p.L328FfsX25) and c.480+4T>G were first reported. Most patients (16/28) presented with AR or AD CMT2K phenotype. Clinical characteristics in our cohort demonstrated that the AR patients presented earlier onset, more severe phenotype compared with the AD patients. Considerable intra-familial phenotypic variability was observed among three AD families. Muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration in the lower extremity were detected by Muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in four patients. MRI showed two AR patients showed more severe muscle involvement of the posterior compartment than those of the anterolateral compartment in the calf. One patient carrying Q38*/H256R variants accompanied with mild periventricular leukoaraiosis. In this study, we conducted an analysis of clinical features of the GDAP1-related CMT patients, expanded the mutation spectrum in GDAP1 by reporting two novel variants, and presented the prevalent occurrence of the H256R mutation in China. The screening of GDAP1 should be particularly emphasized in Chinese patients with CMT2, given the incomplete penetrance and pathogenic inheritance patterns involving dominant and recessive modes.

Coparenting and Adolescent Academic Engagement: The Mediating Role of Parent–Child Communication Among a National Sample of Chinese Families

ABSTRACTThe relationship and related mediating mechanism between parental coparenting and adolescent academic engagement have yet to be elucidated during the pandemic. The present study is set to investigate the relationship between parental coparenting and adolescent academic engagement within Chinese families. Then it examines the mediating effects of parent–child communications in relationships. As a part of the national online survey in China, fathers, mothers and adolescents from 700 families across the country participated in the online survey. Both parents reported their coparenting support and conflict, while adolescents rated the level of open and problematic parent–child communication and their own academic engagement. Paternal coparenting conflict was related to adolescent academic engagement through both open and problematic communications. Paternal and maternal coparenting support was related to adolescent academic engagement through the mediating effect of open communication. Maternal coparenting conflict was related to adolescent academic engagement through problematic communication. Moreover, paternal coparenting support was positively directly related to adolescent academic engagement in the overall model. The research findings supported the effects of parental coparenting on adolescent academic engagement through the mediating effects of open and problematic parent–child communication. Paternal coparenting support had a greater impact on adolescent academic engagement.

Urban political economy of elite education: international programs in Chinese elite public high schools

ABSTRACT This ethnographic data-driven article investigates the urban political economy of a new form of elite schooling, which is represented by the fee-charging international programs recently established by ‘key’ public high schools in metro China. Grounding the analysis in Harvey’s work on urbanization and neoliberalism, the literature on China’s development model, and Bourdieu’s theory of capital conversion, this article reveals that the construction of an international program is deeply implicated in the school’s social relationships with the state, real estate developers, and urban middle classes. While the program provides wealthy Chinese families with access to international higher education for accumulating desirable capitals at ‘world-class’ universities, the Chinese elite school generates its own capital. Through theorizing how the creation of the fee-charging international program draws together multiple forms of neoliberal profit-making and multi-scalar capital accumulation, this study adds novel conceptual and empirical insights to the emergent scholarship of elite and international education.

Structural Family Therapy with Chinese Families in After-Violence Context

This article aims to apply structural family therapy to working with family and intimate partner violence in after-violence context, where risks and safety issues have been addressed. This practice research study uses case analyses based on the work done with a Chinese couple and a Chinese family in Singapore, respectively. It identifies the salient therapeutic focus and healing processes in after-violence context with Chinese families. Reflections and feedback of social workers and clients during and after the conjoint sessions were included systematically. Practice implications to apply Structural family therapy in working with Chinese couples and families in after-violence are highlighted.

Grandmother-grandchild physiological synchrony in Chinese three-generation families: Links with child emotion regulation.

The current study examined the characteristics of physiological synchrony between grandmothers and grandchildren in Chinese three-generation families, and the associations between physiological synchrony and child emotion regulation. The participants included 92 children (age 8-10-year old) and their grandmothers. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was collected from both grandmothers and their grandchildren throughout a collaborative drawing task and a conflict discussion task. Child emotion regulation was measured using the Children's Emotional Management Scale. We found no evidence for an overall pattern of concordant or discordant synchrony within dyads. Instead, there was great variability in patterns of synchrony across dyads. During the collaborative drawing task, concordance in grandmother's RSA and grandchildren's subsequent RSA was linked with better emotion regulation. During the conflict discussion, concordance in grandmother's RSA and grandchildren's simultaneous RSA was linked with poorer emotion regulation. These results suggest that grandmother-grandchild synchrony in different directions, time lags, and contexts has different influences on children's emotion regulation. The findings of this study highlight the importance of contextual physiological co-regulation between Chinese children and their grandmothers for children's social-emotional development.

Parent and adolescent depressive symptom among a nationally representative sample of Chinese families: The chained mediating roles of parental involvement and parent–child attachment

Parent and adolescent depressive symptom among a nationally representative sample of Chinese families: The chained mediating roles of parental involvement and parent–child attachment

Molecular characterization of similar Hb Lepore Boston-Washington in four Chinese families using third generation sequencing.

Hemoglobin (Hb) Lepore is a rare deletional δβ-thalassemia caused by the fusion between delta-beta genes, and cannot be identified by traditional thaltassemia gene testing technology. The aim of this study was to conduct molecular diagnosis and clinical analysis of Hb Lepore in four unrelated Chinese families using third generation sequencing. Decreased levels of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and an abnormal Hb band were observed in the probands of the four families. However, no common α and β-thalassemia variants were detected in the enrolled families using polymerase chain reaction-reverse dot blot hybridization based traditional thalassemia gene testing. Further third-generation sequencing revealed similar Hb Lepore-Boston-Washington variants in all the patients, which were resulted from partial coverage of the HBB and HBD globin genes, leading to the formation of a delta-beta fusion gene. Specific gap-PCR and Sanger sequencing confirmed that all the patients carried a similar Hb Lepore-Boston-Washington heterozygote. In addition, decreased levels of MCH and Hb A2 were observed in the proband's wife of family 2, an extremely rare variant of Hb Nanchang (GGT > AGT) (HBA2:c.46G > A) was identified by third-generation sequencing and further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. This present study was the first to report the similar Hb Lepore-Boston-Washington in Chinese population. By combining the utilization of Hb capillary electrophoresis and third-generation sequencing, the screening and diagnosis of Hb Lepore can be effectively enhanced.

Genome-Wide Identification of GAST Family Members and Their Potential Roles in Epicotyl Dormancy in Chinese Cork Oak (Quercus variabilis)

Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis Blume) is a widespread tree species with high economic and ecological values. Chinese cork oak exhibits epicotyl dormancy, causing emergence heterogeneity and affecting the quality of seedling cultivation. Gibberellic acid-stimulated transcript (GAST) is a plant-specific protein family that plays a crucial regulatory role in plant growth, development, and seed germination. However, their evolution in Chinese cork oak and roles in epicotyl dormancy are still unclear. Here, a genome-wide identification of the GAST gene family was conducted in Chinese cork oak. Ten QvGAST genes were identified, and nine of them were expressed in seed. The physicochemical properties and promoter cis-acting elements of the selected Chinese cork oak GAST family genes indicated that the cis-acting elements in the GAST promoter are involved in plant development, hormone response, and stress response. Germinated seeds were subjected to gibberellins (GAs), abscisic acid (ABA), and fluridone treatments to show their response during epicotyl dormancy release. Significant changes in the expression of certain QvGAST genes were observed under different hormone treatments. QvGAST1, QvGAST2, QvGAST3, and QvGAST6 exhibited upregulation in response to gibberellin. QvGAST2 was markedly upregulated during the release of epicotyl dormancy in response to GA. These findings suggested that QvGAST2 might play an important role in epicotyl dormancy release. This study provides a basis for further analysis of the mechanisms underlying the alleviation of epicotyl dormancy in Chinese cork oak by QvGASTs genes.

Art Education as a Healing Method Helps Sensitive Teenagers Grow up in Modern Chinese Family Education

With the Chinese society's emphasis on education, adolescent mental health problems have become increasingly prominent. Especially in the high-pressure family education environment, the emotional needs and psychological difficulties of highly sensitive adolescents are more prominent. This study not only focuses on the mental health of adolescents, but also aims to provide a new solution for family education and adolescent mental health through the unique perspective of art therapy. Art therapy integrates art and emotional connection to help promote the spiritual recovery of the individual. By exploring the restorative role of art in modern Chinese family education, we expect to provide new educational ideas for parents and educators, and promote the comprehensive and healthy development of adolescents.

Corrigendum: Novel FOXL2 variants in two Chinese families with blepharophimosis, ptosis, and epicanthus inversus syndrome

Corrigendum: Novel FOXL2 variants in two Chinese families with blepharophimosis, ptosis, and epicanthus inversus syndrome

A cognitive script perspective on how early caregiving experiences inform adolescent peer relationships and loneliness: A 14-year longitudinal study of Chinese families.

Leveraging data from a longitudinal study of Chinese families (n=364), this research aims to understand the role of secure base script knowledge as a cognitive mechanism by which early caregiving experiences inform adolescents' friendship quality and feelings of loneliness. Results showed that observed maternal sensitivity at 14 and 24 months old was negatively associated with adolescents' self-reported conflicts with close friends (β=-0.17, p=0.044) at 15 years old, and this association was partially mediated by their secure base script knowledge assessed at 10 years old. Further, secure base script knowledge moderated the link between adolescents' friend conflict and feelings of loneliness (β=-0.15, p=0.037). The results support a cognitive script perspective on the association between early caregiving experiences and later socio-emotional adjustment. Furthermore, this study adds to the developmental literature that has previously focused on more stringent and authoritarian aspects of parenting in Chinese families, thereby contributing to our understanding of how sensitive and supportive parenting practices contribute to socio-emotional development outside of Western contexts. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Maternal sensitivity during infancy and toddlerhood has a long-term association with adolescents' friendship quality and adolescents' secure base script partially explains the association. First evidence to demonstrate that the secure base script in attachment relationships mediates the association between early maternal caregiving and socio-emotional development in Chinese adolescents. Adolescents lacking secure base script knowledge are particularly vulnerable to feelings of loneliness when facing high levels of conflict in close friendships.

A novel COL4A5 splicing mutation causes alport syndrome in a Chinese family

BackgroundAlport syndrome (AS) is characterised by haematuria, proteinuria, a gradual decline in kidney function, hearing loss, and eye abnormalities. The disease is caused by mutations in COL4An (n = 3, 4, 5) that encodes 3–5 chains of type IV collagen in the glomerular basement membrane. AS has three genetic models: X-linked, autosomal recessive, and autosomal dominant. The most common type of AS is X-linked AS, which is caused by COL4A5.MethodsWe enrolled children with renal insufficiency and a family history of kidney disorders. The proband was identified using whole-exome sequencing. Sanger sequencing was performed to verify the mutation site. Minigene technology was used to analyse the influence of mutant genes on pre-mRNA shearing, and the Iterative Threading ASSEmbly Refinement (I-TASSER) server was used to analyse the protein structure changes.ResultsThe proband, together with her mother and younger brother, displayed microscopic haematuria and proteinuria, Pathological examination revealed mesangial hyperplasia and sclerosis. A novel mutation (NM_000495.5 c.4298-8G > A) in the intron of the COL4A5 gene in the proband was discovered, which was also present in the proband’s mother, brother, and grandmother. In vitro minigene expression experiments verified that the c.4298-8G > A mutation caused abnormal splicing, leading to the retention of six base pairs at the end of intron 46. The I-TASSER software predicted that the mutation affected the hydrogen-bonding structure of COL4A5 and the electrostatic potential on the surface of the protein molecules.ConclusionsBased on the patient’s clinical history and genetic traits, we conclude that the mutation at the splicing site c.4298-8G > A of the COL4A5 gene is highly probable to be the underlying cause within this particular family. This discovery expands the genetic spectrum and deepens our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying AS.

Developmental antecedents of adherence to masculinity norms: A 9-year longitudinal study of urban Chinese families.

A growing body of literature shows that adherence to some aspects of Western masculinity norms, including the suppression of emotional vulnerability, avoidance of seeking support from others, and exaggerated physical toughness, is associated with poorer psychological and social outcomes. While existing research suggests that parental gender beliefs and caregiving behaviors might influence the development of children's gendered behaviors, little is known about the developmental origins of individual differences in adherence to masculinity norms. The current study aims to address this gap and presents a longitudinal investigation of how parental gender beliefs and maternal sensitivity during infancy contribute to children's adherence to masculinity norms during middle childhood. Data were drawn from a mixed-method 9-year longitudinal study of 374 urban Chinese families (48.40% with daughters). Parental gender beliefs were assessed at 24 months, maternal sensitivity was assessed with mother-child interaction observations at 14 and 24 months, and children's self-reported adherence to masculinity norms were assessed at age 10 years. Results indicate that while parental gender beliefs had no associations with children's adherence to masculinity norms, maternal sensitivity predicted children's adherence to masculinity norms (β = -.18, p = .008) above and beyond parental gender beliefs and parental education level; moreover, there was a significant interaction of sex on the effect of maternal sensitivity on children's adherence to masculinity (β = -.23, p = .025), and the association was significant only for boys. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and initial validation of the parental response to adolescents' emotions scale: A mixed methods approach.

An exploratory mixed methods design was used to explore age-appropriate characteristics of parental response to emotion (PRE) during adolescence in Chinese families and develop the parental response to adolescents' emotions scale (C-PRAES). Qualitative interviews with 21 parent-adolescent dyads were employed to explore characteristics of PRE in adolescence and generate item pools. Structural validity, criterion validity, measurement invariance across informants (adolescents vs. parents, mothers vs. fathers) and consistency reliability were examined in the quantitative phase (Nadolescent = 702, Nparent = 476). New age-appropriate strategies were generated from qualitative phase: Guidance in reappraisal, Allowing independent regulation, and Avoiding escalation of conflict. The formal version of the C-PRAES comprised items in two dimensions (supportive/non-supportive) and exhibited good validity, reliability, and measurement invariance.

What Is Supportive Parenting? Perspectives From Chinese Immigrant Caregivers With Low-Income Living in the Greater Boston Area

Chinese immigrant families are the fastest growing immigrant population in the United States. Yet, research on Chinese immigrant parenting is limited, mostly focusing on stereotypes such as the model minority myth and tiger parenting. Little is known about how Chinese immigrant caregivers (i.e., parents and grandparents), especially those with low socioeconomic status (SES), define and engage in supportive parenting. Drawing upon Harkness and Super’s parental ethnotheories and Darling and Steinberg’s integrative parenting model, this phenomenological qualitative study investigated supportive parenting among Chinese immigrant caregivers with low SES. Twenty-four Chinese immigrant caregivers with low SES and children between the ages of 2 to 12 from the Greater Boston area participated in focus groups. The focus groups aimed to identify parenting goals, values, and practices influenced by different cultural contexts. Our findings revealed a conceptualization of supportive parenting which included being highly involved and wanting to give guidance and instruction while respecting children’s autonomy and granting them freedom to explore. The findings have implications for researchers, parenting programs, and family service providers serving Chinese immigrant caregivers.

Modeling children’s moral development in postwar Taiwan through naturalistic observations preserved in historical texts

A core issue in the interdisciplinary study of human morality is its ontogeny in diverse cultures, but systematic, naturalistic data in specific cultural contexts are rare to find. This study conducts a novel analysis of 213 children’s socio-moral behavior in a historical, non-Western, rural setting, based on a unique dataset of naturalistic observations from the first field research on Han Chinese children. Using multilevel multinomial modeling, we examined a range of proactive behaviors in 0-to-12-year-old children’s peer cooperation and conflict in an entire community in postwar Taiwan. We modeled the effects of age, sex, kinship, and behavioral roles, and revealed complex interactions between these four variables in shaping children’s moral development. We discovered linkages between coercive and non-coercive behaviors as children strategically negotiated leadership dynamics. We identified connections between prosocial and aggressive behaviors, illuminating the nuances of morality in real life. Our analysis also revealed gendered patterns and age-related trends that deviated from cultural norms and contradicted popular assumptions about Chinese family values. These findings highlight the importance of naturalistic observations in cultural contexts for understanding how we become moral persons. This re-analysis of historically significant fieldnotes also enriches the interdisciplinary study of child development across societies.

A novel variant in NSUN2 causes intellectual disability in a Chinese family

NSUN2-intellectual disability syndrome, also known as intellectual disability type 5 (MRT5), is an autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by intellectual disability (ID), postnatal growth retardation, dysmorphic facies, microcephaly, short stature, developmental delay, language impairment and other congenital abnormalities. The disease is caused by mutations in the NSUN2 gene, which encodes a tRNA cytosine methyltransferase that has an important role in spindle assembly during mitosis and chromosome segregation. In this study, we recruited a family that had two individuals with ID. Whole exome sequencing was performed to identify a homozygous frameshift variant (c.1171_1175delACCAT(p.Thr391fs*18*)) in NSUN2 (NM_017755.5) in the proband. The varint was confirmed as segregating in his affected brother and his parents by Sanger sequencing. The individuals that we described showed a similar dysmorphology profile to that associated with MRT5. To analyze the correlations between genotypes of NSUN2 and phenotypes of individuals with ID, we examined 17 variants and the associated phenotypes from 32 ID individuals in current and previous studies. We concluded that mutations in NSUN2 cause a wide range of phenotypic defects. Although some clinical manifestations were highly variable, the core phenotypes associated with NSUN2 mutations were dysmorphic facies, microcephaly, short stature, ID, growth restriction, language impairment, hypotonia and delayed puberty. Our study expands the genetic spectrum of NSUN2 mutations and helps to further define the genotype-phenotype correlations in MRT5.

Sustainable Development of Chinese Family Businesses: Exploring the Role of Succession Planning in Maintaining Organizational Sustainability from the Perspective of Socioemotional Wealth

Identifying the factors affecting organizational sustainability is a crucial topic in the field of social science and business research. Especially in family businesses, the most crucial issue is how to maintain corporate sustainability across generations. In this regard, succession planning plays a key role in maintaining the sustainable development of family businesses. From the perspective of socioemotional wealth, this study discusses the motivations and consequences of intrafamily succession by measuring the impact of the internal determining factors of succession planning on family business performance. Based on a sample of 281 Chinese family firms, this study uncovers the relationship between succession planning and organizational performance. The core findings of this study include succession planning is positively related to organizational performance in the matter of the successor’s training; succession planning has a positive effect on organizational performance in terms of the successor’s self-preparation; and succession planning is positively correlated with organizational performance in the aspect of the relationship between the successor and business. By illustrating that the formulation of succession planning is an essential pursuit for family businesses to preserve sustainability and socioemotional wealth, the results reveal ways to facilitate succession planning through internal factors in the family business. This study contributes to organizational sustainable development literature, family business sustainability studies, and succession management research by validating the positive relationship between succession planning and organizational performance, indicating that succession planning is a vital driving force for achieving organizational sustainability.

The Co-Parenting Across Family Structures Scale: Replication for Mandarin parents.

Co-parenting, the undertaking of parents working together to raise their children, is well documented as an important consideration of children's adjustment in Western countries, but we know less about the role of co-parenting in other cultures. In China, for example, co-parenting has only recently emerged in the social science literature. This study aimed to examine the cultural sensitivity of the CoPAFS instrument among Chinese Mandarin-speaking parents. CoPAFS is a 27-item survey designed to assess co-parenting across married and unmarried family structures originally developed in English. Data were collected from 729 Chinese-speaking and 348 English-speaking respondents. Factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the overall model fit for the translated co-parenting measure was acceptable in Mandarin. However, the five CoPAFS subscales (trust, respect, communication, acrimony, and value) differed across comparison groups, with communication notable for its lack of endorsement among Chinese couples. Implications of measuring co-parenting within Chinese families are offered.

Supplemental Material for Developmental Antecedents of Adherence to Masculinity Norms: A 9-Year Longitudinal Study of Urban Chinese Families

Supplemental Material for Developmental Antecedents of Adherence to Masculinity Norms: A 9-Year Longitudinal Study of Urban Chinese Families