Children’s Problem Behaviors and Maternal Parenting Psychological Flexibility: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Model

Purpose: With rapid social change, mothers are increasingly facing emotional health crises during childrearing. Prior research has largely focused on how parents shape children’s development, while overlooking how children’s behaviors may, in turn, shape mothers’ psychological functioning. Therefore, this study examined the mechanism through which children’s problem behaviors influence maternal parenting psychological flexibility, with a particular focus on the mediating role of parenting stress and the moderating role of perceived coparenting quality. Methods: A longitudinal design was adopted with three survey waves spaced six months apart. The final sample included 1,131 Chinese preschool children (660 boys, 651 girls) and their mothers. The performed measurements encompassed children’s problem behaviors (T1), maternal parenting stress (T2), perceived coparenting quality (T2), maternal parenting psychological flexibility (T1/T2/T3) and demographic information. Structural equation modeling was performed using Mplus 8.3. Results: The mediation model showed that, after controlling for T1/T2 parenting psychological flexibility, children’s problem behaviors in T1 were negatively correlated longitudinally with T3 parenting psychological flexibility through T2 parenting stress. Moreover, T2 perceived coparenting quality significantly moderated the second stage of the mediation pathway: when mothers perceived higher-quality coparenting, the negative association between parenting stress and parenting psychological flexibility was substantially attenuated. Discussion: This study elucidates the mechanism by which children’s problem behaviors shape maternal parenting psychological flexibility and highlights the protective role of high-quality coparenting in this process. The findings extend the explanatory depth of child-driven effects and stress-buffering theory within family contexts and provide empirical evidence for developing multilevel family interventions centered on maternal stress management and spousal coparenting support. Keywords: children’s problem behaviors, maternal parenting psychological flexibility, parenting stress, perceived coparenting quality