Objective: With the social changes, a growing number of women have joined the workforce, leading to a shift in the traditional roles of child-rearing. There has been a growing focus on the significance of fathers’ roles in child development, particularly the influence of fathers on children’s problematic behaviors, making it an increasingly prominent issue. However, there is limited understanding regarding the potential mechanisms through which fathers may exert influence on children’s problem behaviors. To address this gap, this study sought to investigate the link between paternal co-parenting and preschool children’s problem behaviors, and the mediating effects of maternal parenting burnout and psychological aggression. Methods: This study used the Personal Information Form and four scales to administer questionnaires to 1164 mothers of preschool children (M_age = 4.26 ± 0.85) in Guangdong Province, China. The collected data underwent processing and analysis using SPSS 22.0. Results: Paternal co-parenting demonstrated a significantly positive correlation with problem behaviors among preschool children. The impact of paternal co-parenting on children’s problem behaviors was mediated by maternal parenting burnout, maternal psychological aggression, and the combined effect of maternal parenting burnout and psychological aggression. Conclusion: Maternal parenting burnout and maternal psychological aggression play a sequential mediating role between paternal co-parenting and problem behaviors among preschool children. This study revealed the internal mechanism through which paternal co-parenting influenced problem behaviors exhibited by children. It provides some evidence to support the important role of fathers in child development, and provides a reference for policymakers and educators to develop interventions for children’s problem behaviors.

Purpose: The occupational well-being of early childhood teachers, as a crucial measure of the stability of the early childhood workforce, is increasingly becoming a core topic of interest within the education system. Work-related stressors, particularly work–family conflict, have drawn significant attention for their impact on the occupational well-being of early childhood teachers, becoming a prominent issue in the education field. However, current research rarely explores the relationship between these factors and the underlying mechanisms involved. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between work–family conflict and the occupational well-being of early childhood teachers and the mediating role of psychological empowerment and job crafting.Methods: This study conducted a survey involving 1,200 early childhood teachers from Guangdong Province, China, using personal information forms and four scales. The collected data were processed and analyzed using SPSS 27.0.Results: Work–family conflict showed a significant negative correlation with early childhood teacher’s occupational well-being (β = −0.268, p < 0.001). Psychological empowerment (indirect effect size = −0.049) and job crafting (indirect effect size = −0.019) partially mediated the relationship between work–family conflict and occupational well-being. Furthermore, psychological empowerment and job crafting played a chain mediating role between work–family conflict and occupational well-being (indirect effect size = −0.036).Conclusion: This study reveals the underlying mechanisms by which work–family conflict affects early childhood teachers’ occupational well-being. The findings demonstrate that work–family conflict has a direct and negative impact on the occupational well-being of early childhood teachers. Psychological empowerment and job crafting both partially mediate the relationship between work–family conflict and occupational well-being among early childhood teachers, and they also function in a serial mediating role within this association. The study provides crucial evidence supporting the significant impact of work-related stressors on early childhood teachers’ occupational well-being, serving as a reference for policymakers and educators in developing interventions targeting occupational well-being.

Objective: This study examines the relationship between maternal psychological aggression (PA) and preschoolers’ problem behaviors (PB), focusing on the mediating roles of psychological resilience (PR) and self-control (SC), and gender differences. Methods: Mothers of 1141 preschoolers (52.9% boys, 47.1% girls; M_age = 4.26, SD = 0.85) participated in three waves of a longitudinal survey, each two months apart. Mothers participating in this study reported basic demographic information and PA at T1. PR and SC were reported at T2. PB of preschoolers was reported at T3. Path analysis models were employed to ascertain the relationship between PA and PB, as well as the mediating roles of PR and SC. Multiple group analyses were employed to ascertain the moderating role of gender. Results: Maternal PA (T1) was positively associated with preschoolers’ PB (T3) (β=0.220, p< 0.001). PR (T2) and SC (T2) independently and sequentially mediated the relationship between maternal PA (T1) and preschoolers’ PB (T3). Maternal PA (T1) was negatively associated with preschoolers’ PR (T2) only in boys (β =− 0.155, p< 0.001), not in girls (β =− 0.030, p> 0.05). Conclusion: This study reveals the impact and underlying mechanisms of maternal PA on preschoolers’ PB and highlights gender differences. These findings underscore the importance of protective factors in fostering positive adaptive behaviors in children subjected to maternal PA. Interventions should focus on preventing maternal PA and enhancing children’s PR and SC, particularly in boys, to promote healthy and positive behaviors.