Fathers’ perceived co-parenting and children’s academic readiness among Chinese preschoolers: Longitudinal pathways through parenting and behavioral regulation

Co-parenting quality has frequently been linked to young children’s social–emotional functioning, but limited research has focused on the relationship between co-parenting and children’s early academic skills, or the underlying mechanisms through which co-parenting influences children’s development. Using data collected from urban China, the present study examined how fathers’ perceptions of co-parenting quality was related to their preschool-aged children’s academic readiness (i.e., receptive vocabulary, reading, early math; N = 336), and whether father’s parenting practices and children’s behavioral regulation mediated the link between co-parenting quality and child outcomes. Findings suggested that the relation between co-parenting quality and children’s academic readiness was mediated by children’s behavioral regulation. However, fathers’ parenting practices were not related to children’s academic readiness, nor did fathers’ parenting practices mediate the relations between co-parenting and child outcomes. The present findings were consistent between boys and girls. That is, the mediating process did not differ as a function of child gender. The study highlights the importance of fostering a quality co-parenting relationship to better support children’s development of behavioral regulation and academic readiness

Fathers\u27 Perceived Co-Parenting and Children\u27s Academic Readiness Among Chinese Preschoolers: Longitudinal Pathways Through Parenting and Behavioral Regulation

Co-parenting quality has frequently been linked to young children\u27s social–emotional functioning, but limited research has focused on the relationship between co-parenting and children\u27s early academic skills, or the underlying mechanisms through which co-parenting influences children\u27s development. Using data collected from urban China, the present study examined how fathers’ perceptions of co-parenting quality was related to their preschool-aged children\u27s academic readiness (i.e., receptive vocabulary, reading, early math; N = 336), and whether father\u27s parenting practices and children\u27s behavioral regulation mediated the link between co-parenting quality and child outcomes. Findings suggested that the relation between co-parenting quality and children\u27s academic readiness was mediated by children\u27s behavioral regulation. However, fathers’ parenting practices were not related to children\u27s academic readiness, nor did fathers’ parenting practices mediate the relations between co-parenting and child outcomes. The present findings were consistent between boys and girls. That is, the mediating process did not differ as a function of child gender. The study highlights the importance of fostering a quality co-parenting relationship to better support children\u27s development of behavioral regulation and academic readiness

Mothers\u27 and Fathers\u27 Roles in Child Adjustment: Parenting Practices and Mothers\u27 Emotion Socialization as Predictors.

Grounded in a conceptual model of family processes underlying socioemotional development and a contextual model of parenting style, the present study addresses the associations between parenting practices, mothers’ emotion socialization, and child adjustment in middle childhood. A total of 217 families involving mothers, fathers, and 8-year-old children (101 boys, 116 girls) were recruited to participate in this study. Findings suggested that fathers’ inconsistent discipline and positive parenting practices predicted greater and fewer children’s adjustment problems, respectively, over and above the effect of mothers’ parenting practices. Mothers’ emotion discussion with children predicted children’s lower externalizing problems. Mothers’ emotion discussion further buffered the association between mothers’ inconsistent discipline and children’s internalizing problems, such that children exhibited fewer internalizing problems when mothers engaged in moderate to high levels of emotion discussion with children. Supporting family systems theory, both mothers’ and fathers’ parenting processes contributed to child development. These findings add to the literature by providing evidence for cumulative family asset and risk underlying child adjustment. Based on the findings, scholars and practitioners may consider adding more emotion-based components of parenting to existing interventions that focus on parenting discipline

Comparative stigma of HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Tuberculosis in Hong Kong

This study compares public stigma towards three types of infectious diseases-- human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and tuberculosis (TB)--tests an attribution model of stigma, and explores the relationships between stigma and public attitudes towards government policies in Hong Kong. Using a population-based telephone survey, 3011 Hong Kong Chinese adults were randomly assigned to one of the three disease conditions and were interviewed about their attitudes and beliefs towards the assigned disease. Findings showed that public stigma was the highest towards HIV/AIDS, followed by TB and SARS. Using multi-sample model structural equation modeling, we found that the attributions of controllability, personal responsibility, and blame were applicable in explaining stigma across three disease types. Knowledge about the disease had no significant effect on stigma. Participants with less stigmatizing views had significantly more favorable attitudes towards government policies related to the diseases. The study is an important attempt in understanding the attributional mechanisms of stigma towards infectious diseases. Implications for stigma reduction and promotion of public awareness and disease prevention are discussed.Attribution HIV/AIDS SARS Tuberculosis Hong Kong Stigma

Examining attribution model of self-stigma on social support and psychological well-being among people with HIV+/AIDS

Among various infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS is considered to be one of the most stigmatizing conditions. Using a prospective design, the present study attempted to test the attributional pathway from perceived control to responsibility to self-blame and finally to self-stigmatization, and to examine the social and psychological sequelae of stigma among a sample of 119 people with HIV/AIDS (PWHA) in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling findings showed that the model had good fit to the data. Although the linkage between the attributions of control, responsibility, and blame was confirmed, the relationship of blame to self-stigma was not significant. Self-stigma was found to dampen social support and lead to psychological distress half a year later. The present study challenged the adequacy of attributional factors in understanding self-stigmatization and demonstrated the impact of stigma on psychological adjustment among PWHA.Hong Kong HIV/AIDS Self-stigma Attribution Social support Psychological distress

Emotion dysregulation between mothers, fathers, and adolescents: Implications for adolescents' internalizing problems

Introduction The present study calls attention to the longitudinal relations between mothers', fathers', and adolescents' emotion dysregulation and adolescents' internalizing problems. To this end, we tested the associations between family members' emotion dysregulation and adolescents' internalizing problems over time. Methods Over a 12-month period, 386 Chinese families from Hong Kong involving mothers, fathers, and adolescent children (children at 12–17 years of age; boys = 185, girls = 201) completed a set of questionnaires twice. Results Multi-group path analysis revealed unidirectional effects of mothers' emotion dysregulation on fathers' and adolescents' emotion dysregulation over time. Adolescents' emotion dysregulation was also related to their subsequent internalizing problems. The associations did not differ as a function of adolescents' gender. Conclusion The present findings underscore the significance of mothers' emotion dysregulation on fathers' and adolescents' emotion dysregulation. As a risk factor, adolescents' emotion dysregulation was also predictive of their internalizing problems 12 months later. Taken together, this study serves to inform prevention and intervention efforts in promoting emotion regulation as a family asset associated with fewer adolescents' internalizing problems