The Mediating Role of Parenting: How parental well-being and distress influence child behaviors

Children's problem behaviors should be managed properly while their prosocial behaviors should be nurtured.As parents play a significant role in children's lives, their well-being and psychological distress could influence children's behavior through different mechanisms.This study investigated the roles of effective parenting (positive encouragement and parent-child relationship) and ineffective parenting (parental inconsistency and coercive parenting) in mediating the relationships between parental well-being and psychological distress, and children's problem and prosocial behavior as reported by parents.One-hundred and seventythree parents of primary school children completed a paper and pencil survey consisting relevant measures.Mediation analyses using PROCESS macros showed that parental well-being and psychological distress significantly influenced children's problem behavior through effective and ineffective parenting, respectively.However, only parental well-being significantly influenced children's prosocial behavior through effective parenting.The results highlight the importance of parental well-being, as it fosters positive parenting practices and promotes prosocial behavior in children.