The Impact of Parental Autonomy Support on Family Adaptation in the Context of "Double Reduction": The Mediating Role of Parent-Child Communication and Cohesion.

The implementation of the "Double Reduction" policy indicates a significant change in the way households operate, such as through parental education conception and parenting form, in which family adaptation needs particular attention. Parental autonomy support has been evidenced to be related to family adaptation in prior studies. However, the mechanism underlying the relationship between parental autonomy support and family adaptation in the context of "Double Reduction" are not clear enough but remain fascinating. This study aims to explore the process through which parental autonomy support affects the whole family's adaptation in the context of "Double Reduction" from the perspectives of parent-child behavior and emotions (i.e., parent-child communication and parent-child cohesion). A cross-sectional design based on the questionnaire method was used to collect the characteristics of 4239 adolescent parents (1493 fathers and 3427 mothers; Mage = 43.20, SDage = 22.39) one year after the implementation of the "Double Reduction" policy. In addition, this study also used the retrospective method to obtain the characteristics of parental autonomy support before the "Double Reduction" policy. In the context of "Double Reduction", the research results found that parental autonomy support can predict family adaptation; parental autonomy support can also influence the whole family's adaptation through the quality of parent-child interaction. This study reveals the impact mechanism of parental autonomy support on family adaptation under the background of "Double Reduction" in China and provides insights on how to improve the adaptation of the entire family from the perspective of parent-child interaction.

The association between family cohesion and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have analyzed the association between family cohesion and depression, but there are different views and the results are inconsistent. It is necessary to use meta-analysis to explore the association between family cohesion and depression and its influencing factors. METHODS: Chinese database (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and English databases (ERIC, MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, Elsevier SD, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and ProQuest dissertations and theses) were searched for articles published by November 2023. Measurements of family cohesion and depression, study design, age, gender, cultural background, and sampling year were analyzed as moderators. Meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model in CMA3.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 71 studies (90,023 participants) were included in this study. The meta-analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between family cohesion and depression (r = -0.31, 95 % CI [-0.35, -0.27]). The association was moderated by measurements of family cohesion and depression, design type, and cultural background, but not by age, gender, or sampling year. LIMITATIONS: The sample size included in this study is relatively small in European and African cultures, making it challenging to analyze cultural differences in the study results at present comprehensively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings contribute to the ongoing debate between Social Support Theory and The Circumplex Model, showing that individuals with lower family cohesion tend to experience higher levels of depression.

Parent-Child Cohesion and College Students' Positive/Negative Affect: The Moderating Roles of Sympathetic Nervous System Activity and Parent-Child Separation Experience.

Parent-child separation caused by parental migration could have adverse effects on individuals' emotional adaptation. However, research on this topic is limited in its focus on childhood or adolescence samples and solely environmental factors, and less is known about how positive environmental factors, biological factors and parent-child separation experience interact to influence emotional adaptation in emerging adulthood. The present study addressed these issues by investigating the relationships between parent-child cohesion and positive/negative affect, and examining the moderating roles of sympathetic nervous system activity (measured by skin conductance level reactivity, SCLR) and parent-child separation experience in the relationships. Data from 248 college students (Mage = 18.91 years, SD = 0.70; 32.3% males), including 158 college students with parent-child separation experience and 90 college students without parent-child separation experience. The results showed that parent-child cohesion predicted college students' positive/negative affect. Moreover, the moderating role of SCLR on the relationship between father-child cohesion and negative affect varied with parent-child separation experience. Specifically, father-child cohesion negatively predicted negative affect when SCLR was lower for college students with parent-child separation experience, while negatively predicted negative affect when SCLR was higher for college students without parent-child separation experience. These results indicate that the interaction pattern of Biological × Environmental predicting college students' positive/negative affect varies across parent-child separation status in childhood or adolescence.

Effect of parent-child cohesion on internalizing problems of junior high school students: the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of sibling relationships / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of self-esteem and sibling relationships on the links of parental cohesion and internalizing problems in junior high school students based on the family system theory.Methods:A total of 565 junior high school students were investigated with the sibling relationship questionnaire, parent-child cohesion questionnaire, self-esteem scale and internalizing problems questionnaire from April to June 2021.SPSS 26.0 was used for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis.PROCESS was used to examine the mediating and moderating effect.Results:Maternal-child cohesion was positively correlated with self-esteem and sibling warmth ( r=0.36, 0.58, both P<0.01), while it was negatively correlated with internalizing problems and sibling conflict ( r=-0.29, -0.25, both P<0.01). Similarly, paternal-child cohesion was positively correlated with self-esteem and sibling warmth ( r=0.37, 0.51, both P<0.01), and it was negatively correlated with internalizing problems and sibling conflict ( r=-0.36, -0.21, both P<0.01). The self-esteem played a partial mediating role between maternal-child cohesion and internalizing problems ( β=-0.09, 95% CI=-0.14--0.05), and the mediating value was 30.13%.The self-esteem also played a partial mediating role between paternal-child cohesion and internalizing problems ( β=-0.07, 95% CI=-0.11--0.04), and the mediating value was 25.36%.Sibling warmth could improve the positive effect of maternal-child cohesion on self-esteem ( β=0.06, 95% CI=0.01-0.11), while could offset the negative effects of low level of maternal-child cohesion against the internalizing problems ( β=0.10, 95% CI=0.04-0.16). But sibling conflict did not significantly predict the effects of maternal-child cohesion on self-esteem and internalizing problems.Similarly, sibling warmth could improve the positive effect of paternal-child cohesion on self-esteem ( β=0.05, 95% CI=0.01-0.09), while could offset the negative effects of low level of paternal-child cohesion against the internalizing problems ( β=0.09, 95% CI=0.03-0.15). But sibling conflict could reduce the positive impact of paternal-child cohesion and self-esteem ( β=-0.05, 95% CI=-0.09--0.01), while had no effect on the impact of paternal-child cohesion and internalizing problems. Conclusion:Parent-child cohesion not only directly affects the internalizing problems, but also indirectly affects the internalizing problems through the self-esteem.Positive parent-child cohesion and sibling warmth relationships can improve the individual's self-esteem level and reduce the internalizing problems.

Effect of Social Exclusion on Social Maladjustment Among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Group Identification and Parent-Child Cohesion.

Social exclusion is a covert and widespread social behavior. Different from previous studies on the role of internal and social functions in the relationship between social exclusion and maladjustment, the study aims to explore the influence of individual interaction on the individual-group relationship as well as the impact of relationship changes on adolescent social maladjustment. Based on an integration of social information processing theory and social identification theory, we analyzed the association between social exclusion and adolescents' social maladjustment, especially the mediating role of group identification and the moderating role of parent-child cohesion. Participants were 1,506 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 16.18 years, SD = 0.81). The results demonstrated that the association between social exclusion and adolescent social maladjustment was partly mediated by group identification. Parent-child cohesion was found to moderate the direct effect and first half of mediating path after splitting gender variable. Our findings expand the extant insights on how social exclusion could contribute to adolescent social maladjustment and highlight the important role of father in later adolescence development.

The influence of parent-child cohesion of primary and middle school students on externalizing problem behaviors: chain mediating effect of security and self-control / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect sense of security and self-control on parent-child cohesion and externalizing problem behaviors in primary and middle school students.Methods:A total of 1 402 primary and middle school students were investigated with the problem behavior frequency scale(PBFS), family adaptability and cohesion scale(FACES-CV), security questionnaire(SQ) and brief self-control scale(BSCS). SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS v2.16 were used for statistical analysis, and common method deviation test, Pearson correlation analysis and intermediary effect analysis were used in the analysis.Results:Parent-child cohesion of primary and middle school students was positively correlated with security and self-control ( r=0.279, 0.303, both P<0.01), which was negatively correlated with externalizing problem behaviors ( r=-0.154, P<0.01). Security was positively correlated with self-control ( r=0.567, P<0.01). Security, self-control and externalizing problem behaviors were negatively correlated ( r=-0.147, -0.250, both P<0.01). The security and self-control of primary and middle school students played a partial mediating role between parent-child cohesion and externalizing problem behaviors.The mediating effect consisted of two paths: one was parent-child cohesion-self-control-externalizing problem behaviors, the other was parent-child cohesion-security-self-control-externalizing problem behaviors. The effect values of these two paths accounted for 20.52% and 20.26% of the total effect respectively. Conclusion:Parent-child cohesion not only directly affects the externalizing problem behaviors of primary and middle school students, but also indirectly affects the externalizing problem behavior through the independent mediating effect of self-control and the chain mediation of security-self-control.

Loneliness, non-suicidal self-injury, and friendship quality among Chinese left-behind adolescents: The role of parent-child cohesion.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness is common among left-behind adolescents and can affect their friendship quality both negatively and positively. Most studies have focused on the negative effect of loneliness on friendship. However, loneliness may also motivate adolescents to seek close connections with peers through certain ways, that is, loneliness may indirectly positively influence friendship quality, which has not been explored. To address this gap, based on the life history theory and the interpersonal function model of non-suicidal injury (NSSI), this study aimed to examine the positive impact of loneliness on friendship quality via NSSI among left-behind adolescents. Moreover, given that NSSI is a severe health concern that should be prevented, the protective role of parent-child cohesion was also examined. METHODS: A two-wave dataset was used. Participants comprised 1,013 adolescents (539 left-behind and 474 non-left-behind adolescents) completed self-report surveys that addressed loneliness, NSSI, friendship quality, and parent-child cohesion. RESULTS: For left-behind adolescents, loneliness could affect friendship quality not only negatively but also positively through NSSI; increased loneliness predicted more NSSI which, in turn, was associated with high friendship quality. Moreover, the moderating effect of parent-child cohesion was significant. For non-left-behind adolescents, neither the direct nor the indirect positive effect through NSSI between loneliness and friendship quality was found. LIMITATIONS: All measures were based on self-reports. Cohesions with caregivers were not included. CONCLUSIONS: Findings advance our understanding of the relationships between loneliness, NSSI, and friendship quality among left-behind adolescents. They provide important implications for future interventions by addressing the role of high parent-child cohesion.

Parent-Child Cohesion, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction, and Emotional Adaptation in Left-Behind Children in China: An Indirect Effects Model.

This study aimed to validate an indirect effects model of parent-child cohesion in emotional adaptation (i.e., loneliness and depression) via basic psychological needs satisfaction in Chinese left-behind children as well as the applicability of the model to both genders. A cross-sectional study was conducted and included 1,250 children aged between 9 and 12 years (635 left-behind children and 615 non-left-behind children) from rural primary schools. The results showed that: (1) relative to non-left-behind children, left-behind children exhibited significantly higher loneliness and depression scores and greater disadvantages involving father-child cohesion, mother-child cohesion, and psychological needs satisfaction. (2) Father- and mother-child cohesion were significantly negatively correlated with loneliness and depression and significantly positively correlated with psychological needs satisfaction in left-behind children. (3) Through structural equation modeling showed that psychological needs satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between parent-child cohesion and emotional outcomes in left-behind children. (4) Through multi-group analyses showed significant gender differences in structural weighting between parent-child cohesion and emotional adaptation, in that parent-child cohesion in left-behind boys was a stronger negative predictor of unfavorable emotional outcomes relative to that observed in left-behind girls, while psychological needs satisfaction in left-behind girls was a stronger negative predictor of unfavorable emotional outcomes relative to that observed in left-behind boys. The implications of these findings for interventions directed at Chinese left-behind children were discussed.

Parent-child cohesion, friend companionship and left-behind children's emotional adaptation in rural China.

Using cross-sectional data from rural left-behind children aged 10-17 years in the Henan Province of China, the present study examined the roles of father-child cohesion, mother-child cohesion, and friend companionship in emotional adaptation (loneliness, depression, and life satisfaction) among children left behind by both of their rural-to-urban migrant parents compared to those with only a migrating father. The results indicated that the children with two migrating parents were disadvantaged according to their demonstration of depression but not in loneliness or life satisfaction. Both parent-child cohesion and friend companionship were directly associated with, to varying extents, the left-behind children's emotional outcomes. Moreover, friend companionship moderated the association between father-child cohesion and emotional outcomes among children with two migrating parents, but the moderating effects of friend companionship did not exist among children with only a migrating father. The implications of these findings for interventions directed at left-behind children are discussed.