The intergenerational transmission of anxiety in a Chinese population: the mediating effect of parental control
The intergenerational transmission of anxiety in a Chinese population: the mediating effect of parental control
Objectives
Anxiety aggregates in families. The key putative environmental mediators of risk transmission from parents to children include parental psychological control and behavioral control, which are important features of parenting in Chinese culture. It is unclear, however, whether Chinese parents’ own anxiety is associated with their partners’ controlling behaviors and whether control mediates the transmission of anxiety. This study aimed to examine whether and how anxiety is transmitted from parents to children with a mediation model incorporating an actor–partner interdependent model.
Methods
We conducted a prospective longitudinal study with parents of Chinese children aged 7–12 years old (N = 651).
Results
Our results found the intergenerational transmission of anxiety from parents to children and maternal transmission of anxiety was mediated by maternal psychological control. Parental anxiety was positively associated with parents’ own psychological, but not behavioral, control. The data showed no association between parents’ own anxiety and their partners’ psychological or behavioral control.
Conclusions
These findings support parental anxiety and maternal psychological control as critical risk factors in children’s development of anxiety in Chinese families.
1669-1678
Xu, Fuzhen
35e9d97f-12cd-4501-a323-f8455edb2f52
Cui, Wei
e525b986-db5b-4785-a57b-a363da48813c
Lawrence, Peter
0d45e107-38ef-4932-aec1-504573de01ef
June 2020
Xu, Fuzhen
35e9d97f-12cd-4501-a323-f8455edb2f52
Cui, Wei
e525b986-db5b-4785-a57b-a363da48813c
Lawrence, Peter
0d45e107-38ef-4932-aec1-504573de01ef
Xu, Fuzhen, Cui, Wei and Lawrence, Peter
(2020)
The intergenerational transmission of anxiety in a Chinese population: the mediating effect of parental control.
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29 (6), .
(doi:10.1007/s10826-019-01675-3).
Abstract
Objectives
Anxiety aggregates in families. The key putative environmental mediators of risk transmission from parents to children include parental psychological control and behavioral control, which are important features of parenting in Chinese culture. It is unclear, however, whether Chinese parents’ own anxiety is associated with their partners’ controlling behaviors and whether control mediates the transmission of anxiety. This study aimed to examine whether and how anxiety is transmitted from parents to children with a mediation model incorporating an actor–partner interdependent model.
Methods
We conducted a prospective longitudinal study with parents of Chinese children aged 7–12 years old (N = 651).
Results
Our results found the intergenerational transmission of anxiety from parents to children and maternal transmission of anxiety was mediated by maternal psychological control. Parental anxiety was positively associated with parents’ own psychological, but not behavioral, control. The data showed no association between parents’ own anxiety and their partners’ psychological or behavioral control.
Conclusions
These findings support parental anxiety and maternal psychological control as critical risk factors in children’s development of anxiety in Chinese families.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 19 November 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 November 2019
Published date: June 2020
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 436967
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/436967
ISSN: 1062-1024
PURE UUID: c85aa615-d975-4f0a-a41e-cef083071f67
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Date deposited: 14 Jan 2020 17:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:34
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Author:
Fuzhen Xu
Author:
Wei Cui
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