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  • Population Study Article
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Positive parent–child interactions moderate certain maltreatment effects on psychosocial well-being in 6-year-old children

Pediatric Research volume 95, pages 802–808 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Positive parental interactions may buffer maltreated children from poor psychosocial outcomes. The study aims to evaluate the associations between various types of maltreatment and psychosocial outcomes in early childhood, and examine the moderating effect of positive parent–child interactions on them.

Methods

Data were from a representative Chinese 6-year-old children sample (n = 17,088). Caregivers reported the history of child maltreatment perpetrated by any individuals, completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a proxy for psychosocial well-being, and reported the frequency of their interactions with children by the Chinese Parent–Child Interaction Scale.

Results

Physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse were all associated with higher odds of psychosocial problems (aOR = 1.90 [95% CI: 1.57–2.29], aOR = 1.92 [95% CI: 1.75–2.10], aOR = 1.64 [95% CI: 1.17–2.30], aOR = 2.03 [95% CI: 1.30–3.17]). Positive parent–child interactions were associated with lower odds of psychosocial problems after accounting for different types of maltreatment. The moderating effect of frequent parent–child interactions was found only in the association between occasional only physical abuse and psychosocial outcomes (interaction term: aOR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.15–0.77).

Conclusions

Maltreatment and positive parent–child interactions have impacts on psychosocial well-being in early childhood. Positive parent–child interactions could only buffer the adverse effect of occasional physical abuse on psychosocial outcomes. More frequent parent–child interactions may be an important intervention opportunity among some children.

Impact

  • It provides the first data on the prevalence of different single types and combinations of maltreatment in early childhood in Shanghai, China by drawing on a city-level population-representative sample.

  • It adds to evidence that different forms and degrees of maltreatment were all associated with a higher risk of psychosocial problems in early childhood. Among them, sexual abuse posed the highest risk, followed by emotional abuse.

  • It innovatively found that higher frequencies of parent–child interactions may provide buffering effects only to children who are exposed to occasional physical abuse.

  • It provides a potential intervention opportunity, especially for physically abused children.

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Fig. 1: Prevalence of children with high-risk psychosocial problems by different types of maltreatmenta.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to shared ownership of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the study statistical expert Dr. Hao Pan.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82103866), Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (20214Y0112), Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2022you1-2, D1502), and The Innovative Research Team of High-level Local Universities in Shanghai (SHSMU-ZDCX20211900).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Clinic, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Wenjie Shan & Li Zhao

  2. Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Wenjie Shan, Yunting Zhang, Jin Zhao & Saishuang Wu

  3. Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Jin Zhao, Saishuang Wu & Fan Jiang

  4. Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hongkong, China

    Patrick Ip

  5. Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, Hongkong, China

    Patrick Ip

  6. Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Joseph D. Tucker

  7. Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Joseph D. Tucker

  8. Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai, China

    Fan Jiang

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Contributions

W.S., Y.Z., and F.J. took the initiative in conception and design, and W.S. analyzed the data and completed the draft. W.S., Y.Z., J.Z., and S.W. collected the data and provided critical suggestions on data analysis. F.J., L.Z., P.I., and J.D.T. made substantial contributions to the interpretation of data and manuscript revision.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yunting Zhang or Fan Jiang.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study received approval from the institutional review board of the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SCMCIRB-K2016022-01). Parents of the involved children signed the informed consent before participating in the study.

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Shan, W., Zhang, Y., Zhao, J. et al. Positive parent–child interactions moderate certain maltreatment effects on psychosocial well-being in 6-year-old children. Pediatr Res 95, 802–808 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02842-5

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