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World J Psychiatry. Oct 19, 2026; 16(10): 123185
Published online Oct 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.123185
Published online Oct 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.123185
Association between parenting styles and child and adolescent mental health: The mediation effect of family functioning and self-concept
Mei Li, Yi-Fan Xu, Yan Sun, Pu-Qing Hou, Jing Hu, Xue-Qing Hu, Yu-Li Li, Wen-Cui Sun, Ke Xi, Tian-Bu Zhang, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an 710068, Shaanxi Province, China
Nan Cai, Department of Mental Health Center, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an 710128, Shaanxi Province, China
Hong-Yan Cao, Weinan Sanxian High School, Weinan 714000, Shaanxi Province, China
Zhen-Hua Chen, Chengguan Junior Middle School, Weinan 715100, Shaanxi Province, China
Tian-Yu Zhao, Jingwei School, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China
Zhen-Long Yan, Liaoyuan Primary School, Hanzhong 723314, Shaanxi Province, China
Ying-Juan Wei, Baoji Institute of Education, Baoji 721000, Shaanxi Province, China
Lin Bai, No. 10 Primary School, Taiyuan 030205, Shanxi Province, China
Wen-Hong Zhang, Weinan Middle School, Weinan 714000, Shaanxi Province, China
Xiao-Hang Wen, Bao-Gen Lu, Zhuhai Meihua Middle School, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong Province, China
Qiao-Li Jiang, Wangbingshi School, Jingmen 448000, Hubei Province, China
Ye Zhang, Xinji Vocational Education Center, Xinji 052360, Hebei Province, China
Co-first authors: Mei Li and Yi-Fan Xu.
Co-corresponding authors: Ke Xi and Tian-Bu Zhang.
Author contributions: Li M designed and conducted the study and wrote the paper; Xu YF contributed to the analysis; Li M and Xu YF contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors; Sun Y provided clinical advice; Hou PQ performed data curation; Hu J, Hu XQ, Li YL, Sun WC, Cai N, Cao HY, Chen ZH, Zhao TY, Yan ZL, Wei YJ, Bai L, Zhang WH, Wen XH, Lu BG, Jiang QL, and Zhang Y performed data collection; Xi K and Zhang TB supervised the study, and they contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: During the preparation of this manuscript, DeepSeek was used solely for language polishing (grammar correction and readability improvement). No scientific content, data analysis, or conclusions were generated by the tool. After using this service, the authors reviewed and edited all AI-assisted content as necessary. The authors take full and exclusive responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the final published version.
Supported by Key Research Project of the Shaanxi Research Center for Children and Adolescents’ Mental Health, No. GXJW202404.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved the Medical Ethics Committee of Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital (Approval No. 2025R039).
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants and their legal guardians prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available because they contain sensitive information from children and adolescents, and disclosure would compromise participant privacy and confidentiality. The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to approval from the institutional ethics committee.
Corresponding author: Tian-Bu Zhang, MD, FRCP (Hon), Professor, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, No. 256 Youyi West Road, Beilin District, Xi’an 710068, Shaanxi Province, China. zhangtianbu@aliyun.com
Received: May 14, 2026
Revised: July 3, 2026
Accepted: August 10, 2026
Published online: October 19, 2026
Processing time: 150 Days and 1.3 Hours
Revised: July 3, 2026
Accepted: August 10, 2026
Published online: October 19, 2026
Processing time: 150 Days and 1.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In this cross-sectional study of 4433 Chinese adolescents, higher levels of emotional warmth from either parent were associated with lower odds of mental health symptoms, whereas harsh parenting predicted a greater symptom burden. Self-concept mediated over 121% of the protective effect of emotional warmth (a suppression pattern), and family functioning explained approximately 40%. Given that both self-concept and family functioning are modifiable, these factors may constitute promising intervention targets to improve adolescent mental health.