Exploring the impact of marital relationship on the mental health of children: Does parent–child relationship matter?

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the associations between marital relationships and parent-child relationships on children's mental health. Participants included 19,487 students from the 2013-2014 baseline China Education Panel Survey. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data and results revealed that marital and parent-child relationships positively affected children's mental health. Parent-child relationship also played a mediating role between marital relationship and children's mental health. The unique contributions of this study and its theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Who Benefits From Being an Only Child? A Study of Parent–Child Relationship Among Chinese Junior High School Students

“…However, few studies examined whether only children have different parentchild emotional relationships compared with non-only children. As an emotional resource, the parent-child relationship plays an important role in shaping adolescents' psychological, social, and academic development (Li et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2019). Thus, it is essential to gain insight into only children's relationships with their parents.…”

“…According to attachment theory, parent-child relationship plays an important role in shaping children's development (Videon, 2005;Levin et al, 2012;Ma et al, 2020). Studies have consistently documented the significant impacts of relationship with caregivers on children's developmental outcomes in China and other cultures (Dmitrieva et al, 2004;Chen, 2017;Li et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2019). A harmonious parent-child relationship provides children a sense of security, which is fundamental for their well-being (Li et al, 2018).…”

“…Studies have consistently documented the significant impacts of relationship with caregivers on children's developmental outcomes in China and other cultures (Dmitrieva et al, 2004;Chen, 2017;Li et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2019). A harmonious parent-child relationship provides children a sense of security, which is fundamental for their well-being (Li et al, 2018). For example, in a study conducted among Shanghai public school students (age = 15.3 years), children's attachment to mothers as well as fathers was found to predict their academic engagement (Chen, 2017).…”

“…According to family systems theory, many factors determine the quality of parent-child relationship, such as marital relationship of parents (Li et al, 2018). In the present study, we mainly focus on the effects of only child status (family size) on parent-child relationship.…”

“…Influenced by these changes, during this period, children are more vulnerable to their social relationships with parent-child relationships being the most important. The quality of parent-child relationships during adolescence has been found to influence the adolescents' developmental outcomes (Ruhl et al, 2015;Chen, 2017;Li et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2019), with the influences persisting well into adulthood and later life (Hair et al, 2008;Raudino et al, 2013). Second, the increased autonomy and shared-decision making with parents during adolescence enable adolescents to be more objective in their evaluations of their relationships with parents (Ruhl et al, 2015).…”