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The Impact of Maternal Emotional Regulation on Children's Emotional and Health Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Family Emotional Expression and Maternal Age

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Objectives: In this study, we explored the influence of maternal emotional regulation and family emotional expression on the emotional regulation and health behaviors of preschool children in rural areas. Methods: We collected data from 800 rural mothers and their preschool-aged children. SPSS 20.0 software was used for analysis purpose. Results: We found that: (1) maternal emotional regulation is negatively associated with positive emotional expressions within the family and positively associated with negative emotional expressions; positive emotional expressions within the family correlate with enhanced adaptability in children's emotional regulation and health behaviors, whereas negative emotional expressions relate to poorer adaptability; (2) positive family emotional expression acts as a mediator between maternal emotional regulation and children's adaptive emotional regulation (which significantly impacts children's health behaviors) (Model A), while negative family emotional expression mediates the relationship between maternal emotional regulation and children's maladaptive emotional regulation (which negatively impacts children's health behaviors) (Model B); and (3) maternal age plays a moderating role in the mediated relationship between maternal emotional regulation, maladaptive emotional regulation and health behavior in children, and the negative emotional expressions observed within the family. Conclusions: These findings underscore the critical impact of family emotional dynamics on child development and highlight the importance of fostering positive emotional environments in rural settings to improve health behaviors among children. We suggest that an effective emotional expression can result in a supportive environment for children, encouraging them to participate in different physical activities and healthy food choices, leading to their improved health behaviors.

Keywords: CHILD EMOTION REGULATION; FAMILY EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION; HEALTH BEHAVIOR; MATERNAL EMOTION REGULATION

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Publication date: October 1, 2024

This article was made available online on September 30, 2024 as a Fast Track article with title: "The Impact of Maternal Emotional Regulation on Children’s Emotional and Health Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Family Emotional Expression and Maternal Age".

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  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

    The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

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