Parenting Behavior and Child Adjustment in a Sample of Mainland Chinese Adolescents

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Yudan Chen Wang (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Andrew Supple

Abstract: Few studies have considered how adolescent development is influenced by parenting in mainland China, and fewer yet have considered using indigenous or culturally relevant measures to assess aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between a global indicator of optimal Chinese parenting behavior, guan jiao, and adolescent adjustment, with xiao (operationalizaed as a proper attitude towards parents according to Confucian beliefs) as a mediator. Adolescent adjustment was indicated by perceived self-efficacy, depression, and school misconduct. Data were collected from a sample of 70 early adolescents in a southern Chinese city. Results generally supported that parents' guan jiao was associated with good behavior, good mental health, and good self-regard in adolescents, and this association was mediated by xiao. The importance of utilizing indigenous concepts, such as guan jiao and xiao, in research on adolescent development in mainland China was discussed.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2007
Keywords
parent-teen relationships, parenting behaviors, Chinese culture, psychology, Chinese adolescents, Chinese parents, guan jiao, xiao, adolescents
Subjects
Parent and teenager $z China $x Psychological aspects
Parent and teenager $z China
Adolescence $z China

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