Environment and Social Psychology

The Effect of Positive Discipline Intervention on the Parenting Styles and Emotion Management Abilities of Chinese Parents

Maoqin Wu

School of Applied Psychology, Social work and policy. Faculty of Art and Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia.

Saralah Devi A/P Mariamdaran

School of Applied Psychology, Social Work and Policy, College of Arts and Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Malaysia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v11i1.4357

Keywords: Positive discipline; parenting style; authoritative parenting; emotion regulation; emotional expression; cognitive reappraisal

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Abstract

Parenting plays an important role in the overall physical, psychological, and emotional development of a child. In China, traditional parenting influenced by Confucianism encourages rigid control and emotional suppression of parents. However, with increasing globalization, a shift is seen towards more democratic parenting styles. This study focuses on the importance of positive discipline intervention on the parenting styles and emotion management abilities of parents in China. The study was conducted through an eight-week intervention program including 30 parents from Fuzhou. The parents were equally divided into an experimental group and a control group. The program consisted of activities focusing on emotional regulation, problem-solving, and collaborative relationship between parents and children. A shift was observed from authoritarian and permissive parenting styles toward more authoritative parenting styles among members of the experimental group. Emotional expression and cognitive reappraisal was reported to have improved after the intervention. Despite the limitations of the study with respect to the small size of the sample and localized population, this paper shows the importance of positive discipline in creating a healthy relationship between parents and children and helping in their holistic development. The findings should be viewed with caution considering that the inquiry is pilot and the sample size is limited.

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