Perceived Parental Guan and School Adjustment Among Chinese Early Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Interdependent Self-construal

Introduction: Previous research suggests that supportive parenting is positively related to adolescents' academic and psychological functioning. However, most extant research has focused on parenting styles observed in Western countries, whereas less is known about the role of culturally specific parenting dimensions in Eastern countries such as China. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between parental guan and school adjustment in Mainland Chinese early adolescents, postulating moderation by interdependent self-construal (ISC).

Methods: Participants were 148 early adolescents (48.6% girls) aged between 10 and 13 years, who completed a questionnaire survey. Teachers rated their students' school-related social competence, while academic grades were obtained from school records.

Results: Linear regression models controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status showed that maternal guan was positively associated with social competence. Furthermore, ISC moderated the link between maternal guan and school adjustment. Specifically, high levels of ISC were found to enhance the positive relation between perceived maternal guan and both social competence and academic performance. However, no significant associations were found for paternal guan.

Conclusions: Our findings extend prior research by documenting the positive role of guan parenting style and ISC in early adolescents' school adjustment, and underscore the centrality of mothers in the childrearing process within Chinese families.