The Mediating Effect of Discipline Styles in the Relationship Between Parents’ Beliefs About Children and Young Children’s Self-Regulation: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Objectives: This study aimed to examine how parents’ beliefs about children are associated with parents’ perceptions of young children’s self-regulation through their discipline styles, focusing on actor and partner effects that reflect parental interdependence.Methods: A total of 209 children aged 3-5 years and 209 mother-father pairs participated. Data were analyzed using SPSS 29.0 for descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and Pearson’s correlation, and MEDYAD Beta v1.1 for the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM).Results: Both mothers’ and fathers’ beliefs about children were positively associated with their own perceptions of young children’s self-regulation (actor effects), and mothers’ beliefs were significantly related to fathers’ perceptions of young children’s self-regulation (partner effect). The rational discipline styles of both parents did not significantly mediate the relationship between parents’ beliefs about children and their perceptions of young children’s self-regulation. Emotional style partially mediated this relationship, but through actor effects only. Overly permissive styles partially mediated the relationship through both significant actor and partner effects. Notably, overly permissive fathers’ styles mediated the effect of mothers’ beliefs about fathers’ perceptions of their young children’s self-regulation. No other significant partner effects were found in the pathways from parents’ beliefs about their children through discipline styles to parents’ perceptions of their young children’s self-regulation.Conclusion: This study is significant as it confirmed that both mothers’ and fathers’ beliefs about children had not only direct effects on parents’ perceptions of young children’s self-regulation, but also indirect effects mediated by discipline styles, through actor and partner effects. These findings may serve as foundational data for developing effective strategies in parental education, counseling, and early childhood guidance to support parents’ positive perceptions related to the optimal development of young children’s self-regulation.