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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Harsh discipline mediates the association between parenting stress and internalizing problems in children and
Xiaoxiao Wan1, Ziyan Zhu2, Xi Xuan3
1Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.
Background:
Parenting stress evokes harsh discipline and induces internalizing problems in children and adolescents. To test this hypothesis, this study examined the potential mediating role of harsh discipline in the association between parenting stress and internalizing problems in children and adolescents while considering the moderating effect of emotion regulation.
Methods:
Two studies were conducted: Study 1 was a cross-sectional survey using questionnaires (N = 971), and Study 2 implemented a three-week online parental intervention training program combining courses and psychological diary recording (N = 123).
Results:
Both studies consistently demonstrated that harsh discipline mediated the link between parenting stress and internalizing problems in children and adolescents. Furthermore, acceptance and cognitive reappraisal reduced the effect of parenting stress on harsh discipline, whereas distraction and rumination enhanced it. Expressive suppression had no significant moderating effect. The intervention enhanced parents' emotion regulation (increased acceptance), reduced parenting stress and alleviated internalizing problems in children and adolescents, with preliminary evidence of reduced harsh discipline.
Conclusion:
These findings clarify the psychological mechanisms through which parenting stress influences child adaptiveness and underscore the value of interventions focused on emotion regulation in mitigating parenting stress, harsh discipline and enhancing child mental health.
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