The relationship between overparenting and young children’s problem behaviors in China: a moderated mediation model

Abstract Problem behaviors are prevalent during the preschool stage and have significant adverse effects on children's future social and academic adjustment. Overparenting represents a crucial familial factor influencing young children's problem behaviors, so it is important to investigate the underlying mechanisms through which overparenting impacts the problem behaviors of young children. A total of 430 young children (Meanage =5.43 years, SD = 1.19) and their parents (Meanage=35.34 years, SD = 4.58) participated in this study. Parents filled the Overparenting Scale, Parent-Child Attachment Scale, Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation and Child Behavior Questionnaire. The results showed that (1) There was a significant positive correlation between parental overparenting and young children’s problem behaviors; (2) Parent-child attachment played a mediating role between parental overparenting and young children’s problem behavior; (3) Children’s negative affect temperament moderated the latter half path of the mediation model, that is, at high levels of negative affect, overparenting has a stronger effect on children’s problem behaviors through parent-child attachment. The results provided the basis for the intervention to alleviate the young children’s problem behavior from the perspective of parenting and child’s temperament.