Parenting behavior and child adjustment in a sample of mainland Chinese adolescents

Few studies have considered how adolescent development is influenced by parenting in mainland China, and fewer yet have considered using indigenous or culturally relevant measures to assess aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between a global indicator of optimal Chinese parenting behavior, guan jiao, and adolescent adjustment, with xiao (operationalized as a proper attitude towards parents according to Confucian beliefs) as a mediator. Adolescent adjustment was indicated by perceived self-efficacy, depression, and school misconduct. Data were collected from a sample of 70 early adolescents in a southern Chinese city. Results generally supported that parents' guan jiao was associated with good behavior, good mental health, and good self-regard in adolescents, and this association was mediated by xiao. The importance of utilizing indigenous concepts, such as guan jiao and xiao, in research on adolescent development in mainland China was discussed.