The impact of parental emotional abuse on psychological distress among primary school students in China during the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of resilience, growth mindset, and positive relationships at school

Abstract Parental emotional abuse (PEA) may result in psychological distress in children, especially under the challenging circumstances caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Protective factors, such as resilience, a growth mindset, and positive relationships at school, may mitigate the influence of PEA on a child’s mental health. The study investigated the impact of PEA on primary school students’ mental health. Based on the systematic self-reflection model, which emphasizes the role of structured reflection in fostering resilience by encouraging individuals to reappraise stressors as challenges rather than threats, we examined the mediating role of resilience and the moderating roles of a growth mindset and positive relationships at school in the association between PEA and distress outcomes. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was employed. A sample of 607 students (312 males), aged between 8 and 14 years (Mean = 9.57, SD = 1.26), from three primary schools in Hong Kong China participated in the study. They completed a set of questionnaire survey including The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form of emotional abuse, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales 21, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Growth Mindset Inventory, and the PR subscale of the PERMA profiler measure. The PROCESS macro in SPSS was used to examine the moderated mediation models. PEA was significantly and positively associated with distress (β = 0.21, p < 0.001). Resilience mediated the relationship between PEA and distress (indirect effect = 0.04, p < 0.001). Positive relationships moderated the association between PEA and distress (β = 0.05, p < 0.001), whereas a growth mindset moderated the mediating effect of resilience in the relationship between PEA and distress (index of moderated mediation = -0.007, p < 0.05). PEA increased distress among the primary school students during COVID-19. Resilience mediated the relationship between PEA and distress. The negative impact of PEA on resilience was mitigated in students with high levels of the growth mindset. Moreover, having more positive relationships mitigated the negative effect of PEA on distress. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at fostering a growth mindset and enhancing positive relationships at school could be effective in fostering resilience and reducing psychological distress among children exposed to PEA, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.