Peer support in school is vital for students’ mental health, particularly within China’s distinctive educational context centered on stable, fixed classes. Class friendship networks and support-seeking networks are widely studied interpersonal networks in peer support research. Previous studies have rarely conducted in-depth comparisons between these two types of networks, leading to confusion in their usage, which impedes the further development of school peer support research. This cross-sectional study examines a sample of 799 second-year junior high school students across 29 classes (48.6

Previous theory and research indicate an intricate connection between bullying victimization, self-esteem, and prosocial behavior. However, longitudinal evidence remains limited regarding the within-person reciprocal association between bullying victimization and prosocial behavior, whether their association operates indirectly through self-esteem, and whether these patterns differ between boys and girls. The current three-year longitudinal study, with a one-year interval, applied the RI-CLPM to explore the reciprocal relationship between bullying victimization and prosocial behavior, as well as the mediating role of self-esteem, separately for boys and girls. Data from 2,530 Chinese adolescents (51.40

The bioecological model emphasizes parent-child interactions as proximal processes associated with children's development over time, whereas family systems theory highlights the distinct yet interdependent roles of mothers and fathers. However, few longitudinal studies have simultaneously examined the associations of mothers' and fathers' parenting styles with preschool children's social problem-solving skills. This study recruited 275 co-residing mother-father Chinese families and employed a three-wave longitudinal design to investigate the longitudinal associations between fathers' and mothers' parenting styles and preschool children's social problem-solving skills, while considering primary-caregiver status. After accounting for prior levels, mothers' authoritative parenting at Time 2 was positively associated with children's social problem-solving skills at Time 3, whereas mothers' authoritarian parenting at Time 1 was negatively associated with social problem-solving skills at Time 2. Fathers' authoritative parenting showed no significant longitudinal association. However, the interaction between authoritarian parenting at Time 1 and whether the father was identified as the primary caregiver was significantly associated with children's social problem-solving skills at Time 2. These findings indicate limited and interval-specific longitudinal associations between parenting styles and children's social problem-solving skills and the possible relevance of primary-caregiver status.

Peer support within the class plays a crucial role in influencing adolescent externalizing behavior problems. Based on a survey of 4,127 8th-grade students across 124 classes from Beijing and Haikou, China, selected through cluster sampling, this study explores the influence of multilevel peer support on adolescent externalizing behavior problems using social network analysis. The results show that: (1) Adolescents with higher support out-degree tend to have lower levels of delinquent behaviors, physical aggression, and internet addiction; (2) Adolescents with higher support in-degree tend to show fewer delinquent behaviors; (3) Greater peer support network density and lower hierarchy are associated with lower levels of delinquent behaviors, physical aggression, and indirect aggression among adolescents; and (4) Individual-level peer support and gender moderate the relationships between class-level peer support and delinquent behaviors, physical aggression, and indirect aggression. These findings indicate that individual-level peer support is linked to various externalizing behavior problems, while class-level peer support is connected to delinquent behavior, physical aggression, and indirect aggression. These results suggest that schools could implement multilevel interventions to reduce adolescents’ externalizing behavior problems by fostering both individual supportive behaviors and a supportive classroom culture.

Prior theories highlight child-level factors in the link between parenting and children's social-emotional competence, although this has been understudied empirically. This three-wave study focused on differential contributions of temperament components and the effect of social mastery motivation in this association and further tested the sequential mediation among 519 Chinese mothers (Mage = 36.06) of preschool children (Mage = 4.49; 50.70% boys). Mothers reported their parenting and children's temperament (i.e. surgency, negative affectivity, effortful control) at T1, children's social mastery motivation at T2, and social-emotional competence at T3, with each assessment point spaced three months apart. Results indicated that surgency did not mediate the association between parenting and social-emotional competence, whereas negative affectivity and effortful control did. Additionally, effortful control and social mastery motivation sequentially mediated the association between authoritative parenting and children's social-emotional competence, but not for authoritarian parenting. These findings inform targeted parenting interventions to enhance social-emotional development through child characteristics.

This study explored the same-and cross-domain contributions of friends' academic performance and subjective well-being (SWB) and potential gender differences among Chinese early adolescents. Participants were 1182 initial fifth-grade children (Mage = 11.25 years, SD = 0.34, 54.8 % girls) within 591 same-gender friendship dyads. Two-wave data on academic performance, SWB, and friendships were collected from self-reports and peer nominations. Results of actor-partner interdependence model showed that SWB of adolescents positively predicted their later academic performance while the reverse relation was non-significant across gender. For partner effects, contagion effects of academic performance for boys and SWB for girls in friendships across time were found. Cross-domain effects were observed exclusively among girls, where friendships with higher SWB were linked to increased academic performance while having friends with higher math performance predicted lower SWB. These findings advance our understanding of gender-specific friendship influences on academic performance and SWB, with practical implications discussed. Educational relevance statement: This one-year longitudinal study investigated the same-and cross-domain effects of adolescents' academic performance and subjective well-being through the lens of friendship in the Chinese context, where academic success is emphasized but happiness is overlooked. Our study highlighted the significance of SWB as a cross-domain predictor of higher academic performance among Chinese early adolescents. Gender differences were notable: boys' academic performance and girls' SWB were contagious in friendship over time. Girls with happier friends had better academic performance, while those with higher-achieving math friends had lower SWB. Accordingly, schools and educators should prioritize students' psychological well-being to support their academic functioning. Practitioners in educational settings are encouraged to utilize the gender-specific effects in friend influence to promote academic success and happiness of students.

Mental health in late childhood and early adolescence reflects both low psychopathology and strong positive resources. This study examined within-person links among subjective well-being (SWB), hope, and depressive symptoms across five annual waves as students progressed from grades 4 to 8 in China (N = 1,128; T1 Mage = 10.35, SD = 0.48; 51.5

Parenting is a complex and challenging process that can be stressful, potentially leading to parental burnout. Based on family systems theory, this study explored the impact of parental burnout on family cohesion and the mediating roles of parent-child relationships and parental differences. Participants included fathers, mothers, and children from 1,913 families. After controlling for family socioeconomic status and children’s gender, the results revealed the following: (1) Mothers’ parental burnout negatively predicted family cohesion, while fathers’ parental burnout did not have a significant predictive effect. (2) Father-child relationship mediated the association between fathers’ parental burnout and family cohesion, while mother-child relationship mediated the association between mothers’ parental burnout and family cohesion. (3) Mothers’ parental burnout also influenced family cohesion through father-child relationship. (4) The impact of mothers’ parental burnout was stronger than that of fathers. In conclusion, these findings highlight the mechanisms underlying the relationship between parental burnout and family cohesion, emphasizing the more substantial negative effect of mothers’ parental burnout, thereby contributing to the understanding of complex family dynamics.

Objective The study aimed to identify Chinese parenting patterns by considering interparental differences and combinations within families and examine relations to emotional, behavioral, self-adjustment, and academic outcomes of adolescents.Background The heterogeneity of parenting is widely acknowledged; profiles of maternal and paternal parenting combinations and benefits for adolescent adjustment across multiple domains remain unclear, however.Method This sample consisted of 2,877 intact Chinese families with adolescents (Mage = 12.3 years), their parents, and their head teachers. Four crucial parenting dimensions in China (i.e., warmth, control, protection, and encouragement of achievement) reported by fathers and mothers, as well as emotional, behavioral, self-adjustment, and academic outcomes reported by adolescents were collected, and latent profile analysis was conducted.Results Our findings revealed four parenting profiles (i.e., affectionate and father-centered strict, mother-centered strict, neglectful, and highly affectionate-strict). Adolescents in affectionate and father-centered strict families, with enough warmth, moderate control and protection, and sufficient father involvement, adjusted the best across multiple domains.Conclusions Two novel parenting profiles characterized by interparental differences in China (i.e., affectionate and father-centered strict, mother-centered strict) were uncovered, with the former one the most beneficial for adolescent outcomes.Implications Findings highlighted the necessity of reconsidering parenting typologies from a two-parent perspective and provided valuable insights for future interventions in China.

This study examined the associations between parental psychological control and real-life social avoidance among college students, focusing on the chain mediating roles of basic psychological needs and problematic smartphone use, as well as the moderating role of interpersonal sensitivity. A total of 1879 college students participated in the study. The results revealed that parental psychological control is positively associated with college students' social avoidance behavior. Furthermore, basic psychological needs and problematic smartphone use played significant sequential mediating roles in this association. Moreover, a sequential mediation pathway was found through basic psychological needs and problematic smartphone use. Additionally, interpersonal sensitivity was identified as a significant moderator, moderating the strength of the association between parental psychological control, and basic psychological needs. These findings provide important evidence for understanding the correlational mechanisms associated with real-life social avoidance among college students and offer practical insights for the development of intervention strategies.

Gratitude has been empirically linked to psychological and behavioral adjustment outcomes during early adolescence. However, the role of gratitude in relation to friends' adjustment outcomes remains unclear, particularly in more interdependent‐oriented cultures. To address this gap, this 1‐year longitudinal study applied the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model to simultaneously examine whether gratitude would predict adolescents' and their best friends' depressive symptoms and aggressive behaviors. The sample consisted of 1342 students within 671 friendship dyads, initially in the fourth grade (44.0% boy‐dyads; initial M age = 10.22 years, SD = 0.33). The results indicated that adolescents' gratitude negatively predicted both their own and their best friends' subsequent aggressive behaviors, revealing both actor and partner effects. In addition, adolescents' gratitude only negatively predicted their own subsequent depressive symptoms. The aforementioned findings were stable across gender. The results suggest that adolescents with higher levels of gratitude can contribute positively not only to their own adjustment but also to the development of those around them. These findings deepen the understanding of the “firewall” function of gratitude and highlight the critical role of friendships in mitigating adolescents' maladjustment, offering practical implications for school‐based gratitude education.

Parenting stress significantly impairs parents' quality of life, often leading to profound exhaustion in the parental role —a condition commonly referred to as parental burnout. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relation remain unexplored. The current study investigated the mediating roles of parenting stress responses and the moderating role of child-based worth in associations between parenting stressors and parental burnout, while also examining gender differences among parents and children. The cross-sectional study consisted of 1854 Chinese parents of children in primary and middle schools. Parenting stressors were categorized into five distinct yet interrelated domains: parenting satisfaction, parenting efforts, lack of parenting reward, lack of support, and low parenting competence. Additionally, parenting stress responses were categorized into two domains: emotional responses and physical responses. Moderated mediation models were used to examine the relations. Results indicated that all five parenting stressors were related to more parental burnout. Both emotional and physical responses partially mediated these associations. Additionally, high levels of child-based worth were associated with stronger links between parenting stressors and both physical responses and parental burnout, whereas low levels of child-based worth weakened these associations. No significant gender differences were found for either parents or children. These findings provide evidence for the associations between parenting stress and parental burnout, highlighting the need for more attention to parents with high levels of child-based worth.

BACKGROUND:The importance of parent-teacher relationships has been well-discussed in Western contexts. It's still unclear whether and how parent-teacher relationships affect students' academic development, especially in the context of China's uneven development between urban and suburban areas. AIMS:This study examined the urban-suburban differences in the influence of the parent-teacher relationships on students' learning engagement during the last 3 years of primary school to contribute to related policy and practice. SAMPLE AND METHODS:Data were collected annually during the summer period in three waves from Grades 4 to 6. The sample included 1408 students (Mage = 10.35, SD = .48; 49.1% boys) paired with their mothers (Mage = 38.82, SD = 3.54), with 643 pairs from urban areas and 765 pairs from suburban areas in China. In each wave, the parents reported the frequency of contact with their child's teacher during the previous school year as well as the quality of their relationship, and the students reported their learning engagement. Latent growth models were used to examine the hypotheses. RESULTS:A statistically significant decline in learning engagement was seen only in suburban students, while the parent-teacher relationships seemed to increase for both suburban and urban participants. Latent growth modelling showed that the increasing levels of relationship quality reduced the decline in the suburban students' learning engagement, although the contact between parents and teachers did not play such a positive role for both urban and suburban students. CONCLUSIONS:The findings reveal a compensatory effect of the quality of the parent-teacher relationship on suburban students' learning engagement. Considering the difference in students' learning engagement between urban and suburban students, increased effort on high-quality parent-teacher relationships for suburban students is required to better support their academic development.

Although the benefits of the close relationship between parent and teacher to child development are widely recognized, it's still unclear how the parent-teacher relationship affects Chinese pupils' school attitudes. The study aimed to investigate this question with a nuanced approach by focusing on the components of the parent-teacher relationship and exploring the moderation of students' perceptions of academic performance. Data were from 1755 fifth graders (Mage = 12.19, 51.3% girls) and their mothers (Mage = 41.38) in a two-wave longitudinal dataset. Parents' reports of parent-initiated contact, teacher-initiated contact, the quality of the parent-teacher relationship, and students' perceptions of school attitudes and academic performance were analysed by multiple regression models. In terms of the main effect, parent-teacher relationship quality was negatively associated with school avoidance. In terms of the moderation effects, parent-initiated contact was negatively associated with students' school liking who had low academic perceptions, and the relationship quality was positively associated with students' school liking who had high academic perceptions. The findings provide insights into promoting pupils' school psychological adjustment from the perspective of home-school collaboration in the Chinese context.

Developing leadership skills during adolescence is crucial for future career success. Previous studies have primarily focused on the impact of school settings, academic courses, and simulated team tasks on leader emergence, neglecting the significant role of parental influence in this process. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research investigated the positive relationship between parental warmth and adolescent leader emergence and the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. The quantitative study (Study 1) collected multi-source data from 1255 adolescents (Mage = 14.2, SDage = 0.56, 48.2

This study investigated discrepancies in parents' and early adolescents' perceptions of parental warmth and authoritarian parenting about early adolescents' depressive symptoms, including the mediating effect of parentadolescent communication. The sample comprised of 2,443 Chinese early adolescents (M-age = 12.64 years, SD=0.23 years; 50.6 % boys) and their parents. Data analysis used latent difference score modeling and structural equation modeling. Parents perceived more parental warmth and authoritarian parenting than did adolescents. Perceived discrepancies in parental warmth and authoritarian parenting between parents and adolescents predicted early adolescent depressive symptoms via the mediating role of parent-adolescent communication. The findings provide new perspectives on interventions for adolescent depressive symptoms.

To date, there has been little agreement on the role of parent-teacher relationships in students’ school outcomes in empirical research due to the intricacy of the concept and the underlying subtle mechanisms. This study aims to investigate this question in China with a nuanced approach and provides an explanatory moderation mechanism. Data was from 1755 fifth graders and their mothers in a two-wave longitudinal dataset in China. Parents’ reports of parent-initiated contact, teacher-initiated contact, the quality of their relationship, and students’ perceptions of school attitudes and academic performance were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Results showed that the quality of their relationship in fifth grade had a significantly negative influence on students’ school avoidance in sixth grade. But high levels of parent-initiated contact combined with poor academic performance were associated with lower school liking, and only high achievers showed the encouraging effect of relationship quality on school liking.

It is the development trend and inevitable choice of Chinese family education modernization to construct the organizational framework of Chinese family education guidance service. According to the family education promotion law of the People’s Republic of China, learn from developed countries family education guidance service agency construction experience,according to the national questionnaire results, in view of the problems of the family education guidance service, challenges and future development needs, establish “national-province-ground（city）-county” level 4 family education guidance service organization system, determine the family education at all levels of government organization structure, function orientation and job responsibilities. More importantly, the family education guidance service organization system construction is proposed from the five aspects of service system, service ability, service mechanism, service resources and service quality.

The goal of this study was to explore longitudinal associations between preference for solitude (PFS) and depressive symptoms among early adolescents in mainland China, with a focus on separating between-person and within-person effects using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). Participants were N = 1039 Chinese early adolescents (M-age= 12.37, 46.1% girls, at Time 1), who completed annual self-reports of depressive symptoms and peer-nominations of PFS over a 3-years period. Results revealed that fluctuations in depressive symptoms consistently predicted fluctuations in PFS 1 year later, but not vice versa, supporting a symptoms-driven model. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of depressive symptoms in promoting subsequent PFS among early adolescents.