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This study investigated relations between parental beliefs and mothers' reported responses to their children's negative emotions. Altogether 189 Chinese mothers of children aged six to eight years were interviewed in group sessions using structured questionnaires. It was found that Chinese mothers endorsed Guan, the Chinese parental beliefs. They also believed that children should be exposed to emotional experiences in order to learn about emotion but did not believe that parents should take an inactive role in their children's emotion learning. Regression analyses revealed that Guan predicted the adoption of the coaching, emotion-supportive and emotion-dismissing approaches when handling children's emotion. Maternal belief in children's open exposure to emotional experiences predicted the adoption of the coaching and emotion-supportive approaches but not the emotion-dismissing approach. Maternal belief in inactive parental role in children's emotion learning predicted the adoption of the emotion-dismissing approach but not the coaching approach. Implications for parent education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among parental goals, parental beliefs and parenting styles. Questionnaires were completed during interviews with 189 Hong Kong-Chinese mothers of children aged six to eight years. Results indicated that these mothers embraced Chinese parental beliefs (guan) and Chinese parental goals of filial piety and harmonious social relationships. In contrast to other studies on Chinese parenting, this study examined Chinese mothers' adoption of psychological control in addition to authoritarian and authoritative parenting. Participants' main styles were found to be authoritative and psychologically controlling rather than authoritarian as reported in previous research. Parental goals were found to mediate the effect of parental beliefs on adoption of parenting styles. Mothers who embraced guan and filial piety reported either an authoritarian or a psychologically controlling parenting style, while those who embraced guan and harmonious social relationships adopted an authoritative parenting style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]