Parental Psychological Control or Autonomy Granting and Child Outcomes Across Age and Gender in China

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Cultural ecological frameworks emphasize the need to consider the roles that individual, family, and sociocultural factors play in the psychosocial development of children. While research on U.S.-based families is plentiful, less is known regarding parenting and child outcomes across developmental periods in China, where the meaning of controlling- and autonomy-promoting parenting may vary. Such research with attention to developmental and cultural considerations are necessary to develop a comprehensive understanding of parent-child interactions in China and inform developmental theories that are applicable to diverse families.

The proposed symposium includes three papers that examine the role of gender in the associations between controlling or autonomy granting parenting and Chinese children’s psychosocial outcomes from early childhood to adolescence. Paper 1 examines the role of gender in the associations among maternal socioeconomic status, maternal support of autonomy, and preschoolers' social outcomes. Paper 2 investigates age-varying associations between parental psychological control, children’s cognitive appraisals of such parenting, and children’s depressive symptoms; and the roles of parent and child gender in these age-varying associations. Paper 3 explores the associations between mothers’ and fathers’ psychological control and adolescents’ depressive symptoms, and how these association may differ across varying gender-dyads. Together, the collection of papers extends existing knowledge on Chinese parenting and children’s psychosocial outcomes by examining individual, familial, and cultural influences from early childhood through adolescence. The expert discussant will provide a context for understanding study findings and will suggest practical implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to promote psychological adjustment in children in China.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Linda C. Halgunseth, Michigan State University

Discussant

• Jean M Ispa, University of Missouri - Columbia

Individual Presentations

• Parents Support of Autonomy, Relatedness, Competence and Children’s Wellbeing in Mainland China: Considering Child Gender - Presenting Author: Chang Su-Russell, Illinois State University

• Age-Varying Associations between Psychologically Controlling Parenting, Chinese Children’s Cognitive Appraisal, and their Depressive Symptoms - Non-Presenting Author: Huiguang Ren, University of Maryland - Baltimore County; Presenting Author: Junsheng Liu, East China Normal University; Non-Presenting Author: Charissa S. L. Cheah, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Gender as a Moderator in the Association Between Parental Psychological Control and Chinese Adolescent Depression - Presenting Author: Yuan Zhang, Michigan State University; Non-Presenting Author: Linda C. Halgunseth, Michigan State University; Non-Presenting Author: Hao Wu, Other ( Guangzhou Medical University); Non-Presenting Author: Shanhong Luo, University of North Carolina Wilmington