The Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Style and Social Anxiety: A Meta-analysis of Mainland Chinese Students

Previous research on the relationship between parenting style and social anxiety in Chinese youth has been inconsistent, which has made it difficult to consider whether improving parenting may serve as a preventative intervention for social anxiety. The current study aimed to clarify these inconsistencies by examining the strength of the association between positive/negative parenting style and social anxiety among Chinese students and the role of certain moderators in those associations. A meta-analysis was conducted on 53 studies with a total sample of 26,024 Chinese mainland students. Separate analyses were conducted for positive parenting style and social anxiety (N = 24,081), and negative parenting style and social anxiety (N = 24,933). Findings suggest a small negative association exists between positive parenting style and social anxiety, and a small positive association exists between negative parenting style and child social anxiety. Analyses suggested type of social anxiety measures, developmental stage, and gender all moderated the relationships between parenting style and social anxiety. Results clarify the direction of the relationship between parenting and social anxiety amongst Chinese youth and point to particular implications and future directions for policy, practice, and research.