The Mediating Role of Child-Parent Relationship in the Relationship
between Father’s Involvement and Support and the Social Competence of
3-6-year-old Preschool Children:Evidence from China
Abstract
In this study, a questionnaire was administered to 634 fathers of
preschool children.The results indicated that: (1) father’s involvement
and support, child-parent relationship, and preschool children’s social
competence were all at the middle level, and there were significant
differences across demographic variables such as educational background,
average monthly income, residence, and the number of children raised;
(2) father’s involvement and support was significant positive
correlation with child-parent relationship (r=0.632, p<.001)
and preschool children’s social competence (r=0.431, p<.001);
while child-parent relationship was positively correlated with preschool
children’s social competence (r=0.434, p<.001); (3) structural
equation modeling revealed the results: father’s involvement and support
significantly predicted child-parent relationship (β=0.737,
p<.001) and preschool children’s social competence (β=0.354,
p<.001), meanwhile child-parent relationship can significantly
positively predict the social competence of preschool children (β=0.169,
p<.001); (4) further Bootstrap test shown that child-parent
relationship had a significant intermediary effect in the relationship
between father’s involvement and support and preschool children’s social
competence (95% CI=[0.050,0.387]). The findings suggest that
fathers should be mobilized to participate in parenting and provide
adequate father support for preschool children to enhance parent-child
closeness, mitigate parent-child conflict, and enhance social adaptation
and social interaction among children with low social competence.