Parental positive thinking and psychological flexibility in relation to children’s nature connectedness: the mediating role of family functioning

To strengthen children’s nature connectedness, this study explored the mechanisms linking parental positive thinking, parental psychological flexibility, and young children’s nature connectedness, with a focus on the mediating role of family functioning. Questionnaires were administered to 673 parents of children aged 3–6 from Hubei, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Chongqing in China, using the Parental Positive Thinking Scale, the Parental Psychological Flexibility Scale, the Family Functioning Scale, and the Children’s Nature Connectedness Scale. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation tests. Parental positive thinking was positively correlated with children’s nature connectedness (B = 0.191, p < 0.01). Parental psychological flexibility was positively correlated with children’s nature connectedness (B = 0.043, p < 0.01). Family functioning mediated the relationship between parental positive thinking and children’s nature connectedness (B = 0.256, 95% CI = [0.189, 0.322]). Parental positive thinking and parental psychological flexibility are associated with children’s nature connectedness through family functioning. These findings suggest that in efforts to enhance children’s nature connectedness, cultivating parental positive thinking and parental psychological flexibility—and fully leveraging family functioning—are of important value and significance.