The longitudinal links between marital conflict and Chinese children’s internalizing problems in mainland China: Mediating role of maternal parenting styles

The present study explored the role of parenting styles as mediating mechanisms in the link between marital conflict and Chinese children's internalizing problems. Participants were N = 1269 families (mothers, fathers, and children) from Shanghai, P. R. China. Multisource assessments were employed at three time points. Mothers and fathers reported their marital conflict and parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian) and teachers and children reported on children's internalizing problems. Results from the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) showed significant actor and partner effects for associations between marital conflict and parenting styles. After controlling for internalizing problems at Time 1, only maternal authoritarian parenting continued to mediate the relations between mothers’ reported marital conflict and change in children's internalizing problems over time. This research provides valuable information about how important aspects of parenting influence the relations between marital conflict and internalizing problems among Chinese children.