The effects of parental marital quality on preschool children's social–emotional competence: The chain mediating model of parent–child and sibling relationships

With the swift advancements in China's education system and society, preschool children's social-emotional competence is becoming increasingly important for adapting to complicated situations. While research shows parental marital quality as a key factor, studies on its specific mechanisms within the Chinese context are limited. Grounded in the framework of family systems theory and incorporating perspectives from the spillover hypothesis, emotional security theory, and attachment theory, this research explores how parental marital quality influences preschool children's social-emotional competence, emphasizing the mediating roles of parent-child and sibling relationships in China. This study examined 227 preschool children (124 boys and 103 girls) from two-child families in six kindergartens across China as research participants. Mother reports on the quality of marital, sibling, and parent-child relationships were collected cross-sectionally to assess the direct and indirect effects on children's social-emotional competence using path models. Results show that parental marital quality positively influences preschool children's social-emotional competence. Additionally, parent-child and sibling relationships not only serve as independent mediators but also create a chain mediating effect. This finding emphasizes the importance of parental marital quality in shaping preschool children's social-emotional competence. It underscores the necessity of nurturing healthy parent-child and sibling interactions via family education.