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According to the dynamic cascade model of development, the present study explored the effect mechanism of the relationship between perceived childhood harsh parental discipline, deviant peer affiliation, core self-evaluation, and cyberbullying from the perspectives of parents, peers, and self. A total of 9277 college students completed a series of questionnaires about perceived childhood harsh parental discipline, deviant peer affiliation, core self-evaluation, and cyberbullying. The results showed that both perceived childhood parental psychological aggression and corporal punishment positively predicted cyberbullying and that perceived childhood parental corporal punishment showed a greater effect. Deviant peer affiliation mediated the effect of perceived childhood parental psychological aggression and corporal punishment on cyberbullying, and core self-evaluation moderated the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and cyberbullying. Meanwhile, the moderating role of core self-evaluation in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and cyberbullying is stronger for males than for females. Specifically, these findings guided the prevention and intervention of cyberbullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loneliness and depression are common emotional problems among left‐behind children, and these emotional problems may have a high correlation with attachment relationships. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of parent–child attachment on left‐behind children's loneliness and depression and the mediating roles of peer attachment and teacher–student relationship and their gender differences. Methods: Using two waves of data, 614 left‐behind children participated in the longitudinal study by completing a series of relevant questionnaire two times (spaced 6 months). Results: The results showed that (1) both father–child attachment and mother–child attachment could negatively predict the loneliness and depression of left‐behind children. Further, mother–child attachment has a greater predictive effect on loneliness. (2) Peer attachment played a mediating role in parent–child attachment and left‐behind children's loneliness; teacher–student relationship played a mediating role in parent–child attachment and left‐behind children's loneliness and depression. (3) The scores of girls were higher than those of boys in the four types of attachment relationships; the mediating role of teacher–student relationship between parent–child attachment and depression was significant only among boys. Conclusions: This study explored the factors that may have impacts on left‐behind children's loneliness and depression as well as its potential mechanism and their gender differences based on the perspective of multiple‐attachment theory. These results emphasize the important role of close parent–child attachment in reducing loneliness and depression among left‐behind children, as well as the necessary mediating role of peer attachment and teacher–student relationships. These findings provide some valuable recommendations for preventing left‐behind children's loneliness and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of parental care is one of the potential causes of bullying victimization of left-behind children (LBC) in China. In father-absent families, maternal involvement may be a protective factor against peer bullying, a topic that has been neglected in prior research. The current study examined the longitudinal influence of maternal involvement on father-absent LBC's bullying victimization and the mediating roles of family functioning and children's self-esteem. Three hundred and thirty-seven father-absent LBC in China participated in the current study at three-time points, and three hundred and eighty-six non left-behind children (NLBC) served as the comparison. The results indicated that: (1) a higher level of maternal involvement predicted less bullying victimization among father-absent LBC; (2) family functioning mediated the relationship between maternal involvement and father-absent LBC's bullying victimization; (3) family functioning and self-esteem played a joint mediating role between maternal involvement and LBC's bullying victimization; and (4) the mechanisms are different between father-absent LBC and NLBC. These findings highlight the essential role of the remaining parent in LBC's bullying prevention. Highlights: Maternal involvement was closely associated with father-absent left-behind children(LBC)'s bullying victimization. Family functioning but not self-esteem mediated the relationship between maternal involvement and father-absent LBC's bullying victimization. Family functioning and children's self-esteem sequentially mediated the association between maternal involvement and father-absent LBC's bullying victimization. The mechanism for maternal involvement affecting children's bullying victimization among father-absent LBC was different from that among non left-behind children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood maltreatment has been evidenced to be a risk factor for adolescent victimization or bullying. However, the impact of different types of childhood maltreatment (emotional and physical abuse) on adolescent victimization/bullying and its underlying mechanisms are not yet well clarified. Therefore, based on the framework of "Family-Individual-School", we explored the mediating roles of perceived social support and loneliness in the effect of childhood emotional/physical abuse on adolescent victimization/bullying. Meanwhile, we also examined the gender differences that exist in the mechanisms. A total of 3600 Chinese adolescents (M (SD) = 16.21 (0.99), 63.36% males) completed questionnaires. The findings found that perceived social support and loneliness played a chain mediating role in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescent victimization/bullying. The abuse discrepancy results suggest that only emotional abuse couldn't predict adolescents' bullying. Childhood physical abuse has a greater impact on bullying than on victimization. Compared with physical abuse, emotional abuse is more likely to influence adolescents' victimization/bullying through loneliness. Gender difference results showed that male adolescents' perceived social support is a better predictor of their bullying behavior than females. Females' physical abuse couldn't predict loneliness and females' perceived social support couldn't predict their victimization. Enhancing the perceived social support and reducing loneliness should be emphasized in interventions to reduce the school bullying of Chinese adolescents who have suffered childhood maltreatment. The results also provide insights into the intervening measures for school bullying based on gender differences. Highlights: Childhood maltreatment can further influence adolescent victimization/bullying through individual factors. Emotional and physical abuse have different effects on adolescent victimization and bullying. There are gender differences in the influence of childhood maltreatment on adolescent victimization/bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School adjustment of left-behind children (LBC) is a significant public health issue that may affect their well-being and mental health. In China, most left-behind children have a family structure in which the father goes out to work and the mother stays at home to take care of the children. As the sole caregiver in the family, a mother who shows support or destruction to the father's parenting goals or behaviors in the process of raising children may affect the LBC's school adjustment. However, the relationship between mothers' co-parenting and LBC's school adjustment and its mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to explore the longitudinal influence of mothers' co-parenting on school adjustment of father-absent LBC, and the mediating roles of paternal and maternal attachment. 284 father-absent LBC (177 boys and 107 girls) aged 8–11 (Mage = 8.43, SDage = 0.73) from Anhui Province completed questionnaires about mothers' co-parenting, paternal and maternal attachment, and children's school adjustment at two time. The results showed that (1) mothers' positive co-parenting positively predicted LBC's social competence, and mothers' negative co-parenting positively predicted LBC's antisocial behaviors; (2) Maternal attachment mediated the relationship between mothers' co-parenting and LBC's social competence, while paternal attachment mediated the association between mothers' positive co-parenting and LBC's antisocial behaviors. This study reveals the effect of mothers' co-parenting on the school adjustment of father-absent LBC, and the unique mediating role of paternal and maternal attachment. Moreover, this research suggested that encouraging mothers to exhibit more positive co-parenting behaviors, reducing conflict and disparaging fathers, may be an effective way to promote LBC's school adjustment. Highlights: Mothers' positive co-parenting promotes the development of father-absent LBC's social competence, while mothers' negative co-parenting promotes the occurrence of father-absent LBC's antisocial behaviors. Maternal attachment mediated the relationship between mothers' co-parenting and LBC's social competence, while paternal attachment mediated the association between mothers' positive co-parenting and LBC's antisocial behaviors. This research suggested that encouraging mothers to show more positive co-parenting behaviors, reducing conflict and disparaging fathers, is beneficial to the development of maternal and paternal attachment, and further promotes father-absent LBC's school adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current situation of adolescent depression is relatively serious, and has aroused widespread concern. Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between shyness, mobile phone dependence and depression through a 12-month longitudinal survey. A total of 1214 adolescents participated in the study. Cross-lagged models were adopted for data analysis. The results showed that significant positive relationships exist among shyness, mobile phone dependence and depression. Shyness at W2 mediated the relationship between mobile phone dependence at W1 and depression at W3. Mobile phone dependence at W2 played a mediating role between depression at W1 and depression at W3. This study revealed the possible reciprocal associations between shyness, mobile phone dependence and depression in adolescents. This enlightened us that incorporating shyness and mobile phone dependence interventions into prevention designs for depression in adolescents may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violent behavior and suicidal ideation are two major public health problems, with the former representing outward attack and the latter characterizing inward attack. The effects of emotional maltreatment in childhood will continue into adolescence. This study explores the impact of childhood emotional maltreatment on adolescent violent behavior/suicidal ideation and its mechanism. Participants were 3,600 adolescents (average age is 16.21 ± 0.99) from the middle east of China. They completed questionnaires measuring emotional maltreatment in childhood, deviant peer affiliation, depression, violent behavior, and suicidal ideation in adolescence. After controlling for demographic variables, we found that deviant peer affiliation and depression mediated between childhood emotional maltreatment and adolescent violent behavior/suicidal ideation. Multi-group analysis results showed that males' deviant peer affiliation would contribute to their violent behaviors. Among female groups, deviant peer affiliation and depression were risk factors for violent behavior and suicidal ideation. a) cross-sectional design was used in this study; b) all the measures were self-reported. Preventing emotional maltreatment in childhood can help reduce violent behavior and suicidal ideation by reducing deviant peer affiliation and depression in adolescence. Males who experienced emotional maltreatment in childhood are more likely to show violent behaviors shaped by external factors such as deviant peer affiliation. In contrast, females' interpersonal orientation and internalizing factors both influence their external and internal aggressive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, some rituals show that power is represented by seat positions. The current study empirically investigated the relationship between seat position and perception of power, and the cultural differences in this relationship. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to arrange seats for people with different power. The results showed that seats for high‐power people were placed facing the door while others' seats were placed with their backs to the door. In Experiment 2, a priming task was employed to test the link between seat position and perception of power. Results revealed that after pictures of the seat facing the door were primed, judgments for high‐power words were more accurate and faster than for low‐power words, as compared to priming with the condition of the seat with its back to the door. A Stroop task was employed in Experiment 3 to explore cultural differences. Results showed that Chinese participants judged high‐power words faster in the congruent trials than in the incongruent trials, but no such difference was found in African participants. These findings suggest that the concept of power can be partly represented by seat position in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]