Psychological Science ›› 2011, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (6): 1390-1396.

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The Effect of Parenting Styles on Child’s later Anxiety: Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies and Masculinity Play the Role of Mediator

  

  • Received:2011-05-20 Revised:2011-09-10 Online:2011-11-20 Published:2011-11-20

父母教养方式对子女焦虑的影响:认知情绪调节策略与男性化特质的中介作用

刘方琳1,温红博2,2,张云运3,董奇4   

  1. 1. 北京师范大学认知神经科学与学习国家重点实验室
    2.
    3. 北京师范大学
    4. 北京市海淀区新街口外大街19号
  • 通讯作者: 董奇

Abstract: Literature shows parenting styles are consistently associated with child later anxiety. However, the underlying mechanisms linking parenting styles and child anxiety are less well known. Some evidences indicated that parenting styles would potentially influence child’s cognitive coping strategies and sex role orientation, which in turn impact symptoms of anxiety. The present study aimed to evaluate a mediational model of anxiety in college samples in China. We hypothesized that cognitive emotion regulation strategies (e.g. catastrophizing and positive reappraisal), as well as sex role orientation (e.g. masculinity), act as potential mediators between parenting and child anxiety. Method: Short-form Egna Minnen Betraffende Upfostran(s-EMBU), Chinese version of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-C), Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were administrated to 269 college students (132 males; M=20.6, SD=1.22) to test their retrospective parenting styles, sex role orientation, cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and self reporting symptoms of anxiety respectively. All the questionnaires are translated into Chinese and have good internal reliability in this study. Principle component analysis was carried out on the mother’s and father’s scales of s-EMBU, yielding two higher-order factors (i.e. namely control and care) explaining 71.7% of the total variance. The first factor (control) explained 38.7% of the variance and had high to very high loadings on overprotection and rejection. The second factor (care) explained 33% of the variance and had very high loadings on emotional warmth. Results: We used Amos 4.0 to evaluate the hypothesized model. Results suggested superior fit the model (χ2(6)=15.103, p=.019, IFI=.962, CFI=.960, RMSEA=.075) and it explained 26% of the variance of child’s anxiety. Parenting styles influence child’s later anxiety through the following three ways: (1) direct effect: control style and care style can negatively and positively predict child's later anxiety, respectively. (2) cognitive emotion regulation strategies play the role of mediator: control style promotes using of catastrophizing strategy, which is a significant positive predictor of anxiety symptoms; whereas care style can reduce using of catastrophizing strategy and increase using of positive reappraisal strategy simultaneously, then in turn negatively predict anxiety symptoms. (3) masculinity and positive reappraisal cooperate as mediators: care parenting style contributes to shaping masculinity, which indirectly influences anxiety via complete mediation of positive reappraisal strategies. Discussion: The present study outlined a mediational role of cognitive and personality factors between parenting styles and child’s later anxiety. On the one hand, parenting styles are important to child’s anxiety development, and different parenting style influences child anxiety in different way. On the other hand, there exists complicated relationship within personality, cognitive factors and mental disorders. It suggests further research and theory development on the models of effects of parenting styles and behavior on child anxiety.

Key words: parenting style, anxiety, cognitive emotion regulation, sex role

摘要: 本研究通过对269名在校大学生进行父母教养方式、情绪调节策略的使用、男性化特质和焦虑水平的测查,探讨了父母教养方式对子女焦虑产生影响的可能机制。结果发现,研究建构的模型对焦虑的整体解释率为26%。父母教养方式主要通过三种途径影响子女焦虑:(1)直接对子女焦虑产生影响;(2)以灾难化和积极重评这两种情绪调节策略为中介,间接影响子女焦虑;(3)促成子女男性化特质的形成,该特质通过积极重评策略的完全中介作用,间接影响子女焦虑。

关键词: 父母教养方式, 焦虑, 情绪调节, 性别角色