Parental psychological control and preschooler's behavioral problems and pre-academic performance in China: The mediating role of executive function

The longitudinal study examined whether executive function (EF) mediated the relationship between parental psychological control and preschooler's behavioral problems and pre-academic performance. It also explored whether these mediating effects varied by EF components and its measures (performance-based vs. rating-based). The participants comprised 240 Chinese preschoolers and their parents who were followed over three years. Results indicated that maternal but not paternal psychological control at T1 directly predicted preschoolers' internalizing and externalizing problems at T3. Maternal psychological control at T1 indirectly predicted preschoolers' internalizing problems and pre-academic performance at T3, mediated by mothers' ratings of working memory at T2, and indirectly predicted preschoolers' externalizing problems at T3, mediated by mothers' ratings of inhibitory control at T2. Findings highlight the important role of parental psychological control in shaping the behavioral and pre-academic outcomes in Chinese preschoolers, and suggest that enhancing various EF components in preschoolers could significantly contribute to their psychological well-being and educational achievements. Educational relevance and implications statement: The current study found that rating-based but not performance based executive function mediated the relationship between maternal psychological control and preschoolers' behavioral problems and pre-academic performance. Family-based intervention work focusing on preschool children should pay more attention to optimizing mothers' parenting strategies and practicing children's daily executive function skills, especially inhibitory control and working memory, which would be conducive to promoting their behavioral and academic healthy development.