Author(s)

Ruirui Li ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

Corresponding Author

Ruirui Li

ABSTRACT

Against the backdrop of concurrent low fertility and rapid population ageing in China, mounting parenting stress has become an urgent issue affecting family well-being and child development. Positive Psychological Capital (PsyCap)-a malleable set of positive psychological resources-is theorised to buffer external stressors, yet its role in mitigating parenting stress remains under-examined. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between PsyCap and parenting stress among Chinese parents, and tested whether PsyCap predicts parenting stress after controlling for sociodemographic factors. An online survey was administered to 461 parents (74 fathers, 387 mothers) from multiple provinces. Measures included the Chinese adaptation of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Zhang et al., 2010; Cronbach's α = 0.93) and the short form of the Parenting Stress Index (Yeh et al., 2001; Cronbach's α = 0.89). Sociodemographic data were also collected. Pearson correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were performed in SPSS 26.0. PsyCap was negatively correlated with parenting stress (r = -0.428, p < 0.001). After controlling for child gender, parent gender, parity, and socioeconomic status (SES), PsyCap still significantly predicted lower parenting stress (β = -0.441, t = -9.80, p < 0.001). Parent gender and SES were also related to parenting stress, but the effect of SES became non-significant once PsyCap was entered into the model. These findings identify PsyCap as a key buffering resource that diminishes parenting stress beyond sociodemographic and gender differences. Interventions that cultivate hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism-especially for mothers and families with lower SES-may effectively alleviate parenting stress, enhance family well-being, and indirectly support reproductive intentions in contemporary China.

KEYWORDS

Positive Psychological Capital; Parenting Stress; Socioeconomic Status; Psychological Resources; Chinese Parents

CITE THIS PAPER

Ruirui Li, The Relationship between Positive Psychological Capital and Parenting Stress among Parents. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology (2025) Vol. 7: 149-154. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2025.070221.

REFERENCES

[1] Chen, Y., & Sun, Y. (2021). The new policy of "three children": Origin, expected effect and policy suggestions. Population & Society, 37(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.14132/j.2095-7963.2021.03.001
[2] Li, Y. (2020). On the cold of the "two-child policy" under the current social situation. Modern Marketing (Information Version), (3), 228. https://doi.org/CNKI:SUN:XIXX.10.2020-03-202
[3] Wei, J., & Sang, Z. (2019). The rearing dilemma and childcare anxiety of the new generation of mothers – A social psychological analysis based on new media's "middle-aged mothers" group. China Youth Study, 10, 46–53. https:// doi.org/10.19633/j.cnki.11–2579/d.20190924.014
[4] Hayes, S. A., & Watson, S. L. (2013). The impact of parenting stress: A meta-analysis of studies comparing the experience of parenting stress in parents of children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 43, 629-642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1604-y 
[5] Yue, Y., Yuan, H., Tan, B., & Wu, D. (2022). The Mediating Role of Maternal Psychological Capital on the Relationship between Social Support and Parenting Competence: Evidence from Chinese Mothers. Early Education and Development, 34(5), 1274–1288. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2022.2098761
[6] Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., & Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60 (3), 541–572. https://doi.org/10.1111/j. 1744-6570.2007.00083.x 
[7] Lee, S. N., & Kim, J. A. (2017). Concept analysis of positive psychological capital. Journal of Korean academy of nursing administration, 23(2), 181-190. https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2017.23.2.181 
[8] Pareek, A., & Jain, S. A Study On Psychological Capital, Parenting Stress And Locus Of Control Among Parents Of Children With Special Needs Who Are Studying In School. 2023. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371681532
[9] Choi, A. (2021). The Effect of Parent-Adolescent Communication and Positive Psychological Capital on Psychological Well-being. Journal of Digital Convergence, 19(4), 329-338. https://doi.org/10.14400/JDC. 2021.19. 4.329 
[10] Zhang Kuo,Zhang Sai,Dong Yinghong. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL:MEASUREMENT AND RELATIONSHIP WITH MENTAL HEALTH[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2010, 8(1): 58-64. https://psybeh. tjnu.edu.cn/CN/Y2010/V8/I1/58  
[11] Yeh, C. H., Chen, M. L., Li, W., & Chuang, H. L. (2001). The Chinese version of the Parenting Stress Index: a psychometric study. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway: 1992), 90 (12), 1470–1477. https://doi.org/10. 1080/08035250152708914 
[12] Zoromba, M. A., Atta, M. H. R., Ali, A. S., El‐Gazar, H. E., & Amin, S. M. (2024). The mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between family sense of coherence and caregiver stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 33(6), 2157-2169. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13383
[13] Li, B., Ma, H., Guo, Y., Xu, F., Yu, F., & Zhou, Z. (2014). Positive psychological capital: A new approach to social support and subjective well-being. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 42(1), 135-144. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2014.42.1.135

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Media and Communication Research
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Art and Performance Letters
  
  
• Lecture Notes on History
  
  
• Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting