Network Analysis of Parental Responses to Children's Negative Emotions and Adolescents' Socioemotional Development

Abstract

Research has underscored the importance of parental responses to children's negative emotions (PRCNE) in adolescents' socioemotional development. However, many existing studies relying on regression or structural equation modelling tend to examine different types of PRCNE separately, rather than modelling their interrelations as parts of an interconnected system. To address this, this study utilised the network approach to examine the roles of various types of PRCNE in Chinese adolescents' socioemotional development with data from 477 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 13.62 years, 50.73% male). Analysis of PRNCE networks revealed that both maternal and paternal networks exhibited connections among different types of responses. In both maternal and paternal networks, punitive responses had the highest centrality. Analysis of bridge networks connecting PRCEN and adolescent emotional/social outcomes showed that parental responses related to adolescents' emotional and behavioural development differed based on the parent's gender. Bridge analysis showed both paternal and maternal person-minimisation were most central for emotional outcomes, while paternal problem-focussed and maternal emotion-focussed responses were key for adolescent social outcomes. In conclusion, this study revealed gender-specific patterns in how various parental responses are interconnected and associated with adolescents' emotional and social outcomes, underscoring the importance of culturally informed, parent-specific approaches in research and practice.