Parental Sports Support and Emotional-Behavioral Problems in Preschoolers: The Chain Mediating Roles of Exercise Habits and Parent-Child Relationships

Experiencing emotional-behavioral problems during the preschool years can significantly hinder children’s development and learning. While physical activity (PA) is recognized as beneficial for mitigating emotional-behavioral problems, the specific role of parental sports support and its underlying mechanisms remains underexplored. This study examined the relationship between parental sports support and emotional-behavioral problems in preschool children, investigating the individual and chain mediating roles of children’s exercise habits and the parent-child relationship.

Background and Significance of Early Childhood Emotional-Behavioral Health

The preschool period is a critical juncture for psychological development, a time when children are particularly susceptible to influences that can shape their emotional and behavioral trajectories. Emerging emotional-behavioral problems, such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can cast a long shadow, impacting academic achievement, social integration, peer relationships, and family dynamics. These early challenges, if unaddressed, often persist into adulthood, underscoring the urgent need for effective early intervention strategies. Global prevalence estimates for emotional-behavioral problems in preschool children range significantly, highlighting the widespread nature of this concern. In China, studies have indicated a notable burden, emphasizing the importance of understanding protective factors within the family environment.

Parental Sports Support: A Multifaceted Approach

Parental sports support is defined as the active facilitation, encouragement, and involvement of parents in their child’s physical activities. This construct is multidimensional, encompassing not only the provision of resources and opportunities but also the emotional climate within which these activities occur. It involves parents modeling active lifestyles, offering logistical assistance such as access to facilities, and providing crucial emotional encouragement and autonomy support. This integrated approach distinguishes it from narrower definitions of parental involvement, recognizing that the quality of interaction is as vital as the provision of support. The Positive Behavior Support framework suggests that behavioral issues often stem from unmet needs, and a supportive family environment, particularly one that promotes healthy habits, can be a powerful antidote.

Research Question and Hypotheses

This study sought to elucidate the intricate pathways through which parental sports support influences emotional-behavioral problems in preschool children. Specifically, it investigated the mediating roles of children’s exercise habits and the parent-child relationship. The research was guided by four key hypotheses:

• Hypothesis 1: Parental sports support will significantly and negatively predict emotional-behavioral problems in preschool children.
• Hypothesis 2: Preschool children’s exercise habits will mediate the relationship between parental sports support and preschool children’s emotional-behavioral problems.
• Hypothesis 3: The parent-child relationship will mediate the relationship between parental sports support and preschool children’s emotional-behavioral problems.
• Hypothesis 4: Preschool children’s exercise habits and parent-child relationships will play a chain-mediated role in the association between parental sports support and preschool children’s emotional-behavioral problems.

Methodology: A Cross-Sectional Survey

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in November-December 2023, involving 4,358 parents of children aged 3 to 6 years from 21 public kindergartens across seven cities in Hunan Province, China. The sample comprised 2,252 boys and 2,106 girls, with a mean age of 4.4 years. Convenience sampling was employed, and data were collected through online questionnaires administered after obtaining informed consent from kindergarten directors, teachers, children, and parents. Ethical approval was secured from the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University.

Measures Employed:

• Parental Sports Support: Assessed using a 13-item scale derived from the "Youth Sunshine Physical Activity Long-term Mechanism Model-Family Sports and Health Education Scale." This scale measures parental sports awareness, behavior, and economic investment in sports. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.908.
• Preschoolers’ Exercise Habits: Measured by a 4-item dimension of "planned exercise habits" from the "Early Childhood Physical Lifestyle" scale, focusing on frequency, duration, and weekly engagement in planned physical activities. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.782.
• Parent-Child Relationships: Assessed using a 26-item scale measuring parent-child closeness and conflict. Scores from the conflict dimension were reverse-scored and combined with closeness scores to reflect overall relationship quality. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.849.
• Emotional-Behavioral Problems: Evaluated using a 20-item scale adapted from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, focusing on emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer interaction problems. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.779.
• Basic Family Information: Included demographic variables such as child’s gender, urban/rural residence, family structure, parents’ education level, and monthly household income, which were used as control variables.

Data Analysis Procedures

Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0. Procedures included tests for common method bias (Harman’s one-factor method), descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis to examine relationships between variables, and regression analyses to assess direct effects. Crucially, a chain mediation model was tested using Model 6 of the PROCESS macro program developed by Hayes, with the Bootstrap method (5,000 repetitions) employed to establish the significance of indirect effects and confidence intervals.

Key Findings: Unraveling the Pathways

The study’s results provided robust support for the hypothesized relationships.

Direct Impact of Parental Support:

Parental sports support demonstrated a significant and negative association with preschoolers’ emotional-behavioral problems. This finding aligns with the main effects model of social support theory, suggesting that active, positive parental engagement in a child’s physical activities directly contributes to improved psychological well-being. This concrete form of support, which includes modeling, encouragement, and resource provision, signifies parental commitment and can buffer against negative parenting styles known to contribute to behavioral issues.

Mediating Role of Exercise Habits:

Preschoolers’ exercise habits emerged as a significant partial mediator. Parental sports support positively influenced the development of children’s exercise habits, which, in turn, were associated with fewer emotional-behavioral problems. This pathway underscores the well-established benefits of regular physical activity for mental health. Exercise is known to positively impact emotional regulation, self-esteem, and attention, while potentially mitigating stress and anxiety. Self-Determination Theory further explains this link, suggesting that parental autonomy support fosters the internalization of healthy habits.

Mediating Role of Parent-Child Relationship:

The parent-child relationship proved to be a substantial partial mediator, with a stronger effect than exercise habits alone. Parental sports support was positively associated with a better parent-child relationship, which then predicted fewer emotional-behavioral problems. This suggests that shared physical activities and supportive interactions enhance intimacy and reduce conflict, creating a more secure and nurturing family environment. This aligns with family systems theory and Rohner’s acceptance-rejection theory, where positive parental involvement fosters a sense of acceptance crucial for healthy socioemotional development.

Chain Mediation: A Sequential Influence

A significant chain mediation was identified, revealing a sequential pathway: parental sports support was linked to fewer emotional-behavioral problems through a pathway involving increased exercise habits, which in turn fostered a more positive parent-child relationship. This sequential effect (effect = -0.014) accounted for a substantial portion of the total indirect effect. This finding extends previous research by demonstrating how parental engagement can initiate a cascade: parental support leads to child exercise habits, which then strengthen the parent-child bond, collectively contributing to better emotional and behavioral outcomes. Attachment theory provides a framework for this, suggesting that reciprocal interactions, facilitated by both parental support and child-initiated habits, build secure attachments that are protective against mental health challenges.

Summary of Mediation Effects:

• Exercise Habits Alone: Mediating effect of -0.010 (11.63% of total effect).
• Parent-Child Relationship Alone: Mediating effect of -0.032 (37.21% of total effect).
• Chain Mediation (Exercise Habits -> Parent-Child Relationship): Mediating effect of -0.014 (16.28% of total effect).
• Total Indirect Effect: -0.056 (65.12% of total effect).

The findings indicate that the parent-child relationship plays a more dominant role in mediating the association between parental sports support and emotional-behavioral problems compared to exercise habits alone. However, the chain mediation highlights the synergistic interplay between these factors.

Implications for Intervention and Practice

The study’s findings carry significant implications for promoting early childhood mental health:

• Family-Centered Approach: Parental sports support is a viable and accessible strategy for families. Encouraging parents to actively participate in, facilitate, and emotionally support their children’s physical activities can yield positive outcomes.
• Focus on Quality of Interaction: Beyond mere participation, the emotional climate of these activities is crucial. Interventions should emphasize warmth, responsiveness, and autonomy support to foster genuine parental care and affirmation.
• Building Exercise Habits: Parents can foster healthy exercise habits by creating consistent opportunities for physical activity and making it an enjoyable experience, thereby positively influencing their child’s overall well-being.
• Strengthening Parent-Child Bonds: Shared sports activities can serve as a powerful tool for enhancing parent-child relationships, reducing conflict, and fostering intimacy. This strengthened bond is a critical protective factor against emotional-behavioral problems.
• Targeted Interventions: Future interventions could integrate components that focus on both promoting physical activity and improving the quality of parent-child interactions within a sports context.

Limitations and Future Directions

Despite the robust findings, the study acknowledges certain limitations. The cross-sectional design precludes definitive causal inferences, and longitudinal research is needed to establish temporal relationships. Reliance on self-report measures introduces the potential for common method bias, although parents are primary informants for child behavior. The study did not differentiate between maternal and paternal roles, and future research could explore these nuanced influences. Furthermore, while demographic variables were controlled, their potential moderating effects were not deeply explored. Future research could also investigate how these relationships vary across different cultural contexts and socioeconomic backgrounds, given the specific sample from Hunan Province, China.

Conclusion

This research underscores the multifaceted benefits of parental sports support in mitigating emotional-behavioral problems among preschool children. The findings reveal that parental support not only exerts a direct positive influence but also operates indirectly through fostering children’s exercise habits and, more significantly, by enhancing the quality of the parent-child relationship. The identified chain mediation highlights a crucial sequential pathway where parental engagement cultivates healthy habits, which in turn strengthens the familial bond, ultimately contributing to improved emotional and behavioral outcomes. These insights strongly advocate for family-based physical activity interventions as a valuable strategy for supporting the mental health and holistic development of young children.