Maternal Warmth and Power Assertion and School and Psychological Adjustment in Chinese Children

Abstract The current longitudinal study investigated evolving and dynamic relations between maternal warmth, maternal power assertion, and child adjustment in a sample of 2,097 Chinese children (initial M age = 10.37 years, 50.7% boys). Multiple data sources were used, including self-reports, peer assessments, teacher ratings, and official school records. Latent change score modeling was employed to analyze developmental changes in parenting and child adjustment. The findings indicated significant growth patterns in both maternal warmth and power assertion over time. Children with mothers exhibiting higher initial maternal warmth tended to demonstrate greater academic improvements, whereas children with mothers displaying higher initial power assertion tended to show poorer academic performance and maladjustment in social and psychological domains, after accounting for child gender, maternal education, and initial levels of child adjustment. Children’s initial social competence enhanced the growth of maternal warmth and decelerated the increase in maternal power assertion. Children’s initial peer victimization and psychological problems hindered the growth of maternal warmth and accelerated the increase in maternal power assertion. These results highlight the significance of maternal warmth and maternal power assertion in shaping child development in the context of Chinese society.