Maternal depression and children's behavioral self-regulation: the role of parenting and children's screen time

Behavioral self-regulation, the ability to control thoughts and behaviors to achieve goals, is crucial for children's learning and success. Impairments in self-regulation can lead to behavior problems. Early childhood experiences, particularly parent-child interactions, significantly influence self-regulation development. Ecological theory emphasizes the family's role, highlighting maternal mental health and parenting as key factors. Research shows that maternal depression is associated with lower-quality caregiving and negatively impacts children's self-regulation. Conversely, supportive parenting, characterized by warmth, sensitivity, and autonomy support, promotes self-regulation. Children's family screen time is another predictor, with excessive screen exposure potentially mediating the link between maternal depression and self-regulation by reducing parent-child interaction quality. This study examines how maternal depression affects children's behavioral self-regulation in Chinese families, focusing on the mediating roles of maternal supportive parenting and children's screen time.

The literature extensively supports the link between behavioral self-regulation and academic success. Self-regulation skills develop rapidly in early childhood, influenced by both biological maturation and environmental factors. Family processes, especially parent-child interactions, are pivotal in this development. Maternal supportive parenting, characterized by warmth, sensitivity, and appropriate scaffolding, positively correlates with children's self-regulation, as shown in Western studies. However, research in the Chinese context is limited. Maternal depression negatively affects parenting and child outcomes, including self-regulation. Studies show a relationship between maternal depression and child behavior problems, with supportive parenting mediating this association. The role of children's screen time is also concerning, with excessive screen exposure linked to attention deficits, language delays, and lower cognitive performance. This is further exacerbated by a reduction in quality parent-child interaction. The current research is limited in exploring the mechanisms between maternal parenting, screen time, and children's behavioral self-regulation, particularly within the Chinese cultural context. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory underscores the importance of social interaction in children's development, suggesting that excessive screen time may limit these crucial interactions.

This study employed a quantitative research design using a stratified random sampling technique to recruit 657 Chinese children (338 boys, 315 girls) and their mothers from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds across three provinces in China. Data collection involved online questionnaires completed by mothers. The questionnaires included measures for maternal depression (DASS-21), maternal supportive parenting (Chinese version of the Child Rearing Practices Report), children's family screen time (a 7-point scale assessing average daily screen time), and children's behavioral self-regulation (Child Self-Regulation in Interaction Scale). Data analysis used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the hypothesized model, testing for direct and indirect effects. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate the measurement models. Child demographic variables (age, gender, urban/rural residence) were included as control variables. The analysis used Mplus 8.1 with full-information maximum likelihood (FIML) estimation to handle missing data. Bootstrapping was employed to assess the significance of indirect effects.

Descriptive statistics showed significant correlations between maternal depression, parenting, screen time, and children's self-regulation. CFA supported the three-factor structure of the self-regulation scale. SEM analysis revealed that maternal depression directly predicted children's behavioral self-regulation. Four models were tested: (1) supportive parenting as a single mediator; (2) screen time as a single mediator; (3) both as independent mediators; and (4) a sequential mediation model (depression → parenting → screen time → self-regulation). Model 4, the sequential mediation model, exhibited the best fit. Results indicated that maternal depression negatively predicted supportive parenting, which in turn negatively predicted both screen time and children's self-regulation. Conversely, increased screen time positively predicted lower self-regulation. The analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of maternal depression on self-regulation via supportive parenting (β = 0.01; 95% CI [0.00, 0.02]). Screen time did not independently mediate the relationship between maternal depression and self-regulation (β = 0.01; 95% CI [-0.01, 0.02]). However, a significant chain mediation effect was observed, where maternal depression indirectly affected self-regulation through the sequential pathways of supportive parenting and then screen time (b = 0.07; 95% CI [0.04, 0.10]).

The findings underscore the crucial role of maternal mental health in children's self-regulation. Maternal depression directly and indirectly affects children's self-regulation through the quality of maternal parenting. Supportive parenting acts as a significant buffer, mitigating the negative impact of maternal depression on children's self-regulatory abilities. While screen time's direct effect on self-regulation is evident, it does not independently mediate the relationship between maternal depression and self-regulation, although it plays a role in the chain mediation effect. The results highlight the complex interplay between maternal well-being, parenting practices, screen time, and child development. The study's findings have significant implications for intervention strategies targeted at improving maternal mental health, enhancing parenting skills, and promoting balanced screen time usage in Chinese families.

This study demonstrates a significant association between maternal depression and children's behavioral self-regulation in Chinese families. The mediating roles of supportive parenting and children's screen time were established, highlighting the importance of positive parenting and limiting excessive screen time. The study's limitations, such as its cross-sectional design and reliance on parent-reported data, necessitate future longitudinal research with objective assessments of self-regulation. Future research should explore culturally sensitive interventions to address maternal depression and promote healthy parenting practices in the Chinese context, focusing on balanced screen time management and strategies to enhance the quality of parent-child interactions.

The study's cross-sectional design limits the establishment of causal relationships. The reliance on parent-reported measures for self-regulation may introduce bias. Future research should use longitudinal designs and incorporate objective assessments of self-regulation. The sample, while diverse, may not be fully representative of all Chinese families. Further research is needed to generalize these findings to other cultural contexts.