Mechanisms underlying the impact of the family rearing environment on emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children

ZHU Longfeng; CHEN Menglin; LIU Xiaohong; LI Ruping

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0601

PDF(1172 KB)

Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (7) : 732-736. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0601

Mechanisms underlying the impact of the family rearing environment on emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children

ZHU Longfeng¹, CHEN Menglin², LIU Xiaohong³, LI Ruping⁴

Author information +

History +

Abstract

Objective To explore the associations of parental educational anxiety, parental burnout, reflective functioning with emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children so as to provide recommendations for the prevention and intervention of such issues. Methods In April 2025, a convenience sampling method was used to recruit 500 parents of children from seven kindergartens in Fuyang, Anhui Province.The Parental Educational Anxiety Content Scale (PEACS), the ChineseShort version Parental Burnout Assessment (S-PBA), the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were administered. Results 1) Parental educational parental anxiety significantly positively predicted preschool children's emotional and behavioral problems (β=0.305, P<0.001).2) Parental burnout partially mediated the relationship between educational anxiety and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool-age children (β=0.052, 95%CI: 0.027 - 0.085), accounting for 17.05% of the total effect.3) Reflective functioning moderated the relationship between parental educational anxiety and parental burnout (β=-0.093, t=-2.503, P<0.05), and the low reflective functioning group demonstrated a more significant predictive effect (β=0.366, t =6.403, P<0.001) compared to high reflective functioning group (β=0.179, t=3.158, P<0.01). Conclusions Parental educational anxiety significantly predicts emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children, with parental burnout serving as a partial mediator and reflective functioning moderating the first half of this mediation model.Interventions should focus on alleviating parental educational anxiety, reducing the risk of parental burnout, and enhancing reflective functioning to prevent and reduce emotional and behavioral problems in young children.

Key words

educational anxiety / parental burnout / reflective functioning / emotional and behavioral problems

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations

ZHU Longfeng, CHEN Menglin, LIU Xiaohong, LI Ruping. Mechanisms underlying the impact of the family rearing environment on emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2026, 34(7): 732-736 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0601

References

[1] 陈华仔,肖维.中国家长“教育焦虑症”现象解读[J].国家教育行政学院学报,2014,21(2):18-23.
Chen HZ, Xiao W.An analysis of the Chinese parents' education-anxiety[J].J Nati Acad Educ, 2014(2):18-23.(in Chinese)
[2] 邹燕君.幼小衔接阶段幼儿家长教育焦虑研究[D].广州:广州大学,2023.
Zou YJ.A study on parental educational anxiety of preschool children's parents during the transition from kindergarten to primary school[D].Guangzhou: Guangzhou University, 2023.(in Chinese)
[3] 成方琪.父母教育焦虑的产生、影响及其作用机制研究[D].武汉:武汉大学,2019.
Cheng FQ.Study on the generation, effect and mechanism of parental anxiety about children's education[D].Wuhan: Wuhan University, 2019.(in Chinese)
[4] Wang M, Lin Y, Xu Q, et al.Chinese parents' education anxiety, parenting, and problem behaviors in preschool children: Child competence as moderator[J].Fam Relat, 2025,74(2):969-984.
[5] Roskam I, Raes ME, Mikolajczak M.Exhausted parents: Development and preliminary validation of the parental burnout inventory[J].Front Psychol, 2017,8:163.
[6] Wu K, Wang F, Wang W, et al.Parents' education anxiety and children's academic burnout: The role of parental burnout and family function[J].Front Psychol, 2022,12:764823.
[7] 许亚静.母亲养育倦怠与幼儿情绪能力的关系:基于感知协同支持和正念养育的作用[J].学前教育研究,2023,37(9):22-35.
Xu YJ.The relationship between maternal parenting burnout and children's emotional competence:The mediating role of mothers' perceptions of the co-parenting and the moderating role of mindful parenting[J].Stud Early Child Educ, 2023(9):22-35.(in Chinese)
[8] Chen BB, Qu Y, Yang B, et al.Chinese mothers' parental burnout and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems: The mediating role of maternal hostility[J].Dev Psychol, 2022,58(4):768-777.
[9] Slade A.Parental reflective functioning: An introduction[J].Attach Hum Dev, 2005,7(3):269-281.
[10] Rutherford HJV, Booth CR, Luyten P, et al.Investigating the association between parental reflective functioning and distress tolerance in motherhood[J].Infant Behav Dev, 2015,40:54-63.
[11] 杜亚松,寇建华,王秀玲,等.长处和困难问卷研究[J].心理科学,2006,29(6):1419-1421.
Du YS, Kou JH,Wang XL, et al.A study on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ)[J].J Psychol Sci, 2006,29(6):1419-1421.(in Chinese)
[12] 王玮,王胜男,程华斌,等.简式养育倦怠量表中文版的修订[J].中国心理卫生杂志,2021,35(11):941-946.
Wang W, Wang SN, Cheng HB, et al.Validation of the Chinese Short Version of the Parental Burnout Assessment[J].Chin Ment Health J, 2021,35(11):941-946.(in Chinese)
[13] 陈露,曹慧,祝卓宏,等.中文版家长反思功能量表的信效度检验[J].中国临床心理学杂志,2022,30(2):340-345.
Chen L, Cao H, Zhu ZH, et al.Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire[J].Chin J Clin Psychol, 2022,30(2):340-345.(in Chinese)
[14] Hayes AF.Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach[M].New York: Guilford Publications, 2017.
[15] 周浩,龙立荣.共同方法偏差的统计检验与控制方法[J].心理科学进展,2004,22(6):942-950.
Zhou H, Long LR.Statistical remedies for common method biases[J].Adv Psychol Sci, 2004,22(6):942-950.(in Chinese)
[16] Yin X, Zhang H, Chen M.The influence of parents' education anxiety on children's learning anxiety: The mediating role of parenting style and the moderating effect of extracurricular tutoring[J].Front Psychol, 2024,15:1380363.
[17] van der Bruggen CO, Stams GJJM, Bögels SM.Research review: The relation between child and parent anxiety and parental control: A meta-analytic review[J].J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2008,49(12): 1257-1269.
[18] Van Kleef GA, Côté S.The social effects of emotions[J].Annu Rev Psychol, 2022,73(1):629-658.
[19] Mikolajczak M, Roskam I.A theoretical and clinical framework for parental burnout: The balance between risks and resources (BR²)[J].Front Psychol, 2018,9:886.
[20] 张琴,赵媚.国内外养育倦怠的研究进展[J].中国儿童保健杂志,2025,33(3):293-297.
Zhang Q, Zhao M.Advances in research on parenting burnout domestically and internationally[J].Chin J Child Health Care, 2025,33(3):293-297.(in Chinese)
[21] 王玮,王云鹤,宋婷婷,等.父母养育倦怠与幼儿问题行为——幼儿自我控制的中介作用[J].信阳师范学院学报(哲学社会科学版),2022,42(3):84-89.
Wang W, WangYH, Song TT, et al.Parental burnout and children's problem behaviors: The mediating role of children's self control[J].J Xinyang Norm Univ (Philos & Soc Sci Ed), 2022,42(3):84-89.(in Chinese)
[22] Fonagy P, Target M.Attachment and reflective function: Their role in self-organization[J].Dev Psychopathol, 1997,9(4):679-700.
[23] Nijssens L, Vliegen N, Luyten P.The mediating role of parental reflective functioning in child social-emotional deve-lopment[J].J Child Fam Stud, 2020,29:2342-2354.
[24] 邵嵘.父母反思功能与幼儿情绪调节的关系:情绪教导与情绪摒除的作用[D].上海:华东师范大学,2024.
Shao R.The relationship between parental reflective function and emotion regulation of preschoolers: The role of emotion coaching and emotion dismissing[D].Shanghai: East China Normal University, 2024.(in Chinese)
[25] Ghanbari S, Vahidi E, Behzadpoor S, et al.Parental reflective functioning and preschool children's psychosocial functioning: The mediating role of children's emotion regulation[J].Eur J Dev Psychol, 2023,20(2):229-250.
[26] Wang SM, Yan SQ, Xie FF, et al.Association of preschool children behavior and emotional problems with the parenting behavior of both parents[J].World J Clin Cases, 2024,12(6):1084-1093.