Perceived quality of parent–child relationships by Chinese primary school students: The role of parents’ education and parent–child literacy activities

Abstract

Previous studies have revealed that the perceived quality of the parent–child relationship is essential for both physical health and psychological well-being. However, most studies have treated the perceived quality of this relationship as an independent variable. In this study, we considered it a dependent variable and examined the role of parents’ education and parent–child literacy activities on children’s perceived quality of the parent–child relationship. One hundred and eighty-six Chinese primary school students and their parents from low socioeconomic backgrounds participated in this study. Parents’ educational level and the parent–child literacy activity status were assessed based on parents’ reports, whereas parent–child relationships were assessed based on children’s reports. Results showed that parents’ educational level positively correlated with the frequency of parent–child literacy activities and children’s perceptions of the quality of the parent–child relationship. There was also a significant positive correlation between the frequency of parent–child literacy activities and children’s perceptions of the quality of the parent–child relationship. Further analyses showed that the frequency of parent–child literacy activities mediated the connection between parents’ educational level and children’s perceived quality of the parent–child relationship. These results suggest that boosting the frequency of parent–child literacy activities may be a useful strategy for facilitating the parent–child relationship.