Links between parent–grandparent coparenting, maternal parenting and young children’s executive function in urban China

ABSTRACT

Parent-grandparent coparenting is a common phenomenon in mainland China; however, little is known about its relationship with children's cognitive development. This study investigates the links between parent-grandparent coparenting and young children’s executive function (EF) and examines the potential mediating role of maternal parenting between coparenting and EF in Chinese urban families. A total of 122 preschool children (58 girls) and their mothers participated in this study. Children’s EF was assessed using measures of working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. Their mothers were asked about parent-grandparent coparenting, maternal parenting (i.e. maternal nurturing and stress), and children’s temperament. The findings showed that parent-grandparent coparenting was indirectly related to cognitive flexibility, a dimension of EF, and this relationship was mediated by maternal nurturing and maternal stress. No direct impact of parent-grandparent coparenting on EF was found. The findings highlight the contribution of supportive parent-grandparent coparenting to children’s cognitive flexibility.

KEYWORDS:

• Parent-grandparent coparenting
• maternal parenting
• executive function
• young children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Young Scholar Program of National Social Science Fund for Education Sciences of China: [Grant Number CBA140150].

Notes on contributors

Xinghua Wang

Xinghua Wang is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, China. She earned her doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Munich, Germany. Her teaching and research interests include early learning and development, science learning and teaching in preschools, and early care and education in China.

Jialing Yang

Jialing Yang gets her degree in Early Childhood Education at Beijing Normal University and works in Chongqing Vocational College of Transportation, China.

Ji Zhou

Ji Zhou has studied in Beijing Normal University and obtained her PhD in educational psychology in Ludwig-Maximillians-University of Munich, Germany. Her research interest lies in self-regulation, cross-cultural assessment, learning motivation and metacognition.

Shuyue Zhang

Shuyue Zhang is a professor at the Faculty of Education, Guangxi Normal University, China. She works in early childhood education, and personality and social psychology.