Psychological well-being, school adjustment and problem behavior in Chinese adolescents: Do parental qualities matter?

Abstract

Chinese secondary school students (N=l,519) were asked to respond to instruments measuring their perceptions of parental qualities, psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behaviour. Measures of parental qualities include perceived parenting styles, support and help from parents, and conflict and relationship with the parents. Results generally showed that adolescents' perceptions of parenting styles, support and help from parents, and conflict and relationship with the parents were significantly related to measures of psychological well-being (including existential well-being, life satisfaction, mastery, self-esteem and general psychiatric morbidity), school adjustment (perceived academic performance and school conduct) and problem behavior (substance abuse and delinquency). Relative to maternal parenthood qualities, paternal parenthood qualities were found to have stronger relationships with measures of adjustment in adolescents with economic disadvantage.