Abstract
Background
Life events and parenting styles might play an important role in children’s mental health.
Aims
This study aims to explore how life events and parenting styles influence children’s mental health based on a Chinese sample.
Methods
A total of 3535 participants had at least one mental disorder (positive group), while a total of 3561 participants had no mental disorders (negative group). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List (ASLEC) and Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (EMBU) were used for screening these two groups.
Results
CBCL total scores differed significantly by sex in the Positive group according to the Mann–Whitney tests (Z = −5.40, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analyses showed that the dimensions of punishment (p = 0.014) and other (p = 0.048) in the ASLEC scale can significantly predict CBCL total scores in the Positive group. Sex, age and overprotection from the father were risk factors (p < 0.001) according to binary logistic regression.
Conclusions
Life events and parenting styles may have impacts on mental health. Fathers play a very important role in children’s growth. Punitive education and fathers’ overprotection might be risk factors for children’s mental health.
Impact
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It is a large sample (3535) study of Chinese children and adolescents
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It provides evidence that life events and parenting styles have impacts on mental health and that fathers play a very important role in children’s growth.
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It is conducive to the development of interventions for the mental health of children and adolescents.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82001445) and the National Key Technology R&D Program of China (No. 2012BAI01B02). Capital Medical University.
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For this manuscript, YC and YL (Ying Li) took the initiative in conception and design, and YL (Yanlin Li) analyzed the data and finished the draft. JC, FW (Feng Wen), LY, JY, FW (Fang Wang), JL gathered the data and gave good suggestions for this manuscript.
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This study was carried out following the recommendations of the Ethics Committee of Capital Medical University. The Ethics Committee approved the protocol of the Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University. All of the children and adolescents and their parents provided written informed consent before data collection.
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Li, Y., Chu, J., Wen, F. et al. Life events and parent style for mental health in children: a cross-sectional study. Pediatr Res 93, 1432–1438 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-022-02209-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-022-02209-2
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