Exploring how parental mental health and rearing styles relate to children’s mental health: a cross-sectional study among migrant and local primary school students in China

Our results indicate that maternal anxiety is associated with children's mental health, with parental rearing styles acting as mediators. Although the cross-sectional and exploratory nature limits causal inference, the findings suggest that interventions addressing both parental mental health and rearing practices may be helpful in promoting children's mental well-being, particularly in migrant populations. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify these pathways and to understand how contextual factors shape parent-child dynamics.