The Relationship between Positive Psychological Capital and Parenting Stress among Parents

Against the backdrop of concurrent low fertility and rapid population ageing in China, mounting parenting stress has become an urgent issue affecting family well-being and child development. Positive Psychological Capital (PsyCap)-a malleable set of positive psychological resources-is theorised to buffer external stressors, yet its role in mitigating parenting stress remains under-examined. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between PsyCap and parenting stress among Chinese parents, and tested whether PsyCap predicts parenting stress after controlling for sociodemographic factors. An online survey was administered to 461 parents (74 fathers, 387 mothers) from multiple provinces. Measures included the Chinese adaptation of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Zhang et al., 2010; Cronbach's α = 0.93) and the short form of the Parenting Stress Index (Yeh et al., 2001; Cronbach's α = 0.89). Sociodemographic data were also collected. Pearson correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were performed in SPSS 26.0. PsyCap was negatively correlated with parenting stress (r = -0.428, p < 0.001). After controlling for child gender, parent gender, parity, and socioeconomic status (SES), PsyCap still significantly predicted lower parenting stress (β = -0.441, t = -9.80, p < 0.001). Parent gender and SES were also related to parenting stress, but the effect of SES became non-significant once PsyCap was entered into the model. These findings identify PsyCap as a key buffering resource that diminishes parenting stress beyond sociodemographic and gender differences. Interventions that cultivate hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism-especially for mothers and families with lower SES-may effectively alleviate parenting stress, enhance family well-being, and indirectly support reproductive intentions in contemporary China.