Relationship between parenting stress and behavioral and emotional problems in preschool children: A mediation effect analysis

BACKGROUND Emotional reactions, such as anxiety, irritability, and aggressive behavior, have attracted clinical attention as behavioral and emotional problems in preschool-age children. AIM To investigate the current status of family rearing, parental stress, and behavioral and emotional problems of preschool children and to analyze the mediating effect of the current status of family rearing on parental stress and behavioral/emotional problems. METHODS We use convenience sampling to select 258 preschool children in the physical examination center of our hospital from October 2021 to September 2023. The children and their parents were evaluated using a questionnaire survey. Pearson’s correlation was used to analyze the correlation between child behavioral and emotional problems and parental stress and family rearing, and the structural equation model was constructed to test the mediating effect. RESULTS The score for behavioral/emotional problems of 258 preschool children was (27.54 ± 3.63), the score for parental stress was (87.64 ± 11.34), and the score for parental family rearing was (31.54 ± 5.24). There was a positive correlation between the behavioral and emotional problems of the children and the “hostile/mandatory” parenting style; meanwhile, showed a negative correlation with the “support/ participation” parenting style (all P < 0.05). The intermediary effect value between the family upbringing of parents in parental stress and children’s behavior problems was 29.89%. CONCLUSION Parental family upbringing has a mediating effect between parental stress and behavioral and emotional problems of children. Despite paying attention to the behavioral and emotional problems of preschool-age children, clinical medical staff should provide correct and reasonable parenting advice to their parents to promote the mental health of preschool-age children.