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. 2025 May 9;34(2):103-115.
doi: 10.5093/pi2025a9. eCollection 2025 May.

Raising Generation Z Children in China: Parenting Styles and Psychosocial Adjustment

Marta Alcaide  1 , Oscar F Garcia  1 , Fangzhou Chen  1 , Fernando Garcia  1
Affiliations

Raising Generation Z Children in China: Parenting Styles and Psychosocial Adjustment

Marta Alcaide et al. Psychosoc Interv. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship between parenting styles, i.e., authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful, and psychosocial adjustment, i.e., aggression, self-concept, and emotional-social competence, among Generation Z (Gen Z) individuals. Method: The participants were 1,417 Chinese individuals, 736 young adults (born between 2003-2005) and 681 adolescents (born between 2006-2008). A multivariate multifactorial design 4 × 2 × 2 × 2 was applied. Dependent variables were various components of child psychosocial adjustment (aggression, five dimensions of self-concept and emotional-social competence). Independent variables were parenting styles, children antisocial tendency during adolescence, sex, and age (adolescent vs. young adult cohorts). Results: Children from authoritarian homes reported higher levels of aggression, and the worst scores in self-concept and emotional-social competence. By contrast, the optimal results were consistently associated with warm parenting (i.e., authoritative and indulgent). Conclusions: Parental warmth was beneficial for Gen Z, including both adolescent and young adult cohorts. The present findings seriously questioned that the Chinese authoritarian parenting, which has often been related to positive outcomes-particularly for educational success-is beneficial for child psychosocial adjustment.

Keywords: Aggression; Antisocial tendency; Gen Z; Parenting styles.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors of this article declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Interaction between Age, Parenting Style, and Sex for Aggression, (a) Females, and (b) Males.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Interactions between Age and Parenting Style for (a) Academic, (b) Emotional, and (c) Family Self-concept.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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