How to Support Chinese Parents Under the Two-Child Policy: The Ways to Alleviate Parenting Stress

• In Event: Stress and Coping Issues in China

Abstract

This study examined the characteristics and relationships among parenting stress, social support and parenting self-efficacy under the universal two-child policy. A Chinese sample of 6131 one-child and 4816 two-child families participated in the study. Parents independently completed self-report measures to evaluate parenting stress, social support and parenting self-efficacy. The results showed that two-child family reported more parenting stress, less social support and parenting self-efficacy than one-child family. Social support directly and indirectly alleviated parenting stress for one-child family, and it only indirectly related to parenting stress through parenting self-efficacy for two-child family. Implications for policy and practice to alleviate parenting stress for one-child and two-child families are also discussed respectively.

Authors

• Qianqian Liu, Beijing Normal University

• xiumin hong, Beijing Normal University

• Wenting Zhu, Beijing Normal University

• Mingzhu Zhang, Beijing Normal University