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From infant separation distress to preschool behavior problems: The mediating roles of maternal self-efficacy and

Qiang Wang1, Shuyang Dong2, Zhe Dong3

  • 1Beijing Key Lab of Learning and Cognition, Research Center for Child Development, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|September 24, 2025
PubMed

This study investigated associations between infant separation distress and preschool behavior problems and examined the mediating effects of parenting self-efficacy and positive parenting on these associations. Participants were 117 young Chinese children and their families. At 14 months, infant separation distress was observed in the Strange Situation Procedure and reported by mothers using the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment. Mothers reported on their parenting self-efficacy and positive parenting at 38 and 61 months, respectively. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess child behavior problems at 61 months. Mediation analyses showed that observed infant separation distress directly predicted emotional symptoms and mother-reported infant separation distress directly predicted hyperactivity/inattention problems. Observed separation distress lowered maternal parenting self-efficacy, which in turn reduced the use of positive parenting, ultimately linking to increases in preschool behavior problems. To conclude, there exist both direct and indirect associations between infant separation distress and preschool behavior problems.

Keywords:
externalizing behaviorsinternalizing behaviorsparenting self‐efficacypositive parentingseparation distress

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