Abstract
The coparenting between grandparents and parents is increasingly prevalent in Chinese society. Based on the family system theory and the differential susceptibility model, the current study examined (a) the relative associations of maternal and grandparental psychological control with children’s behavioral problems; (b) the interactive effects of maternal and grandparental psychological control on children’s behavioral problems; and (c) the moderation role of children’s temperamental reactivity. The sample included 241 Chinese multigenerational families with preschool children (130 boys, Mage = 4.88 years, SD = 1.04). Mothers and grandparents reported their psychological control and children’s behavioral problems. Mothers also rated children’s temperamental reactivity. The results showed that only maternal psychological control was uniquely associated with more children’s behavioral problems. There was no interaction between maternal and grandparental psychological control. However, children’s temperamental reactivity moderated associations between grandparental psychological control and children’s behavioral problems. Specifically, grandparental psychological control was positively linked to children’s behavioral problems only for highly reactive children. This finding highlighted the susceptibility of children with high reactivity to grandparental psychological control, raising the possibility of targeted interventions to facilitate children’s development.
Highlights
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In Chinese multigenerational families, maternal psychological control played a more significant role in preschool children’s behavioral problems than grandparental psychological control.
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There was no interaction between maternal and grandparental psychological control.
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High reactive children were more susceptible to grandparental psychological control.
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We are grateful to Dr. Edwina Pendarvis, Professor Emerita of Marshall University, and Dr. Mary Barbara Trube, Professor Emerita of Ohio University, who help to revise and improve the quality of paper.
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This study was funded by the National Social Science Fund of China (grant number 17BSH144).
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S.X. contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection and analysis were performed by X.G. and X.F. The first draft of the paper was written by X.G. and Y.R. revised and edited the paper. All authors read and approved the final paper.
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Gao, X., Yan, R., Fang, X. et al. Intrusive Psychological Control and Children’s Behaviors in Chinese Multigenerational Families: Role of Children’s Temperamental Reactivity. J Child Fam Stud 31, 2582–2593 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02048-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02048-5