The Relationships Between Maternal Anxiously Attached Feelings Towards The Child, Parenting Stress, and Negative Parenting in China

Abstract

This research aims to explore the associations of maternal anxiously attached feelings towards the child, parenting stress, and negative parenting among Chinese mothers with school-aged children. 105 Chinese mothers participated in it. The study utilized the modified anxious attachment subscale in Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Parenting Stress Index, and the subscale of authoritarian parenting in The Short Version of Parenting Style and Dimension Questionnaire. It found that parenting stress played a mediator role in the relationship between parents’ anxiously attached feelings towards a child and negative parenting. These results highlight the importance of intervention programs aiming for parenting stress management.