BACKGROUND
The transition from late childhood to early adolescence is a pivotal developmental period characterized by substantial social, emotional, and behavioral change. During this transition, loneliness and conduct problems may co-occur and mutually reinforce one another, increasing vulnerability to later maladjustment. However, longitudinal research on their bidirectional developmental interplay and the family processes that may underlie it remains limited, particularly with respect to maternal reactions to children's negative emotions (MRCNE). This study examined the bidirectional longitudinal associations among loneliness, conduct problems, and MRCNE, as well as the potential mechanisms linking these constructs.
METHODS
The sample was composed of 995 fourth-grade students from three primary schools in eastern China (Mage = 10.45, SD = 0.68; 36.3% girls). Data were collected across three annual waves over a 2-year period. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were used to examine bidirectional longitudinal associations among loneliness, conduct problems, and two dimensions of MRCNE: maternal supportive and unsupportive reactions to children's negative emotions.
RESULTS
The results revealed bidirectional associations between loneliness and conduct problems over time. Conduct problems negatively predicted subsequent maternal supportive reactions, while maternal unsupportive reactions at T1 positively predicted loneliness at T2. Maternal supportive reactions at T2 negatively predicted loneliness at T3. Mediation analyses identified significant indirect pathways linking loneliness, conduct problems, and MRCNE.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how socioemotional and behavioral difficulties become intertwined during the transition to adolescence and highlight maternal emotion-related responding as an important family process during this developmental period.
Jinrong Li, Wanyi Ding, Menglan Wang et al.· Journal des adolescens· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Harsh parental discipline is a common form of child maltreatment and has been consistently associated with increased negative automatic thoughts and children's depressive symptoms. However, the longitudinal symptom-level associations of these factors remain unclear, particularly with respect to gender-specific patterns.
OBJECTIVE
This study employed a cross-lagged panel network analysis to examine the symptom-level temporal associations among harsh parental discipline, negative automatic thoughts, and depressive symptoms in children, and to investigate the role of gender in these relationships.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
Participants were 836 Chinese children recruited from three elementary schools. Children completed self-report questionnaires assessing harsh parental discipline, negative automatic thoughts, and depressive symptoms at two time points over a one-year interval.
METHODS
Cross-lagged panel network analysis was used to estimate temporal associations among the study variables, and network structures were compared between boys and girls.
RESULTS
The overall network analysis indicated that personal failure emerged as a central node connected to depressive symptoms. Paternal psychological aggression and paternal corporal punishment were both associated with personal failure, whereas maternal corporal punishment was linked to somatic symptoms and interpersonal relationship difficulties. Gender-specific network analyses revealed that depressive symptoms were primarily associated with paternal psychological aggression in girls and with personal failure in boys.
CONCLUSIONS
Harsh parental discipline, negative automatic thoughts, and depressive symptoms exhibited complex associations with gender-specific patterns in the cross-lagged network, providing insights into the emergence and development of depressive symptoms in children.
Tingting Fu, Jia-Ying Cheng, Wanyi Ding et al.· International Journal of Chi...· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have primarily examined the impact of parental psychological control on adolescent depressive symptoms from either family interaction or emotional perspectives, often considering these factors separately and overlooking their potential interplay.
AIMS
This study examined how parent-child conflict frequency and negative emotions mediate parental psychological control's effects on adolescent depressive symptoms, alongside parental gender differences.
METHODS
A two-wave longitudinal design was employed. Data were collected from 1774 junior high school students at two timepoints with a one-year interval.
RESULTS
(1) Perceived maternal psychological control directly predicted adolescent depressive symptoms. (2) Father-child conflict frequency significantly mediated paternal control's effect on depressive symptoms, while maternal control's mediation was marginal; mother-child conflict frequency showed no mediation. Negative emotions significantly mediated maternal control's effect. (3) Maternal control influenced depressive symptoms sequentially through mother-child conflict and negative emotions, whereas paternal control exhibited no such pathway.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings underscore parent-child conflict reduction and negative emotion regulation as critical interventions for alleviating adolescent depressive symptoms, highlighting the unique role of maternal psychological control. The results advance targeted strategies for adolescent mental health promotion.
Yingying Jin, Wanyi Ding, Xiao-lin Shao et al.· Journal of Mental Health· 0 citations
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