Profiles of Parental Home-Based Involvement: Associations with Preschool Children's Positive Psychological Traits and Social Adaptation

Purpose

Although prior studies have examined the association between parental involvement and children's social development, less attention has been paid to the division of parental roles and the heterogeneity of parental involvement patterns. Adopting a person-centered approach, this study identified the latent profiles of fathers' and mothers' home-based involvement and further examined how these profiles were associated with preschool children's positive psychological traits and social adaptation. Participants and methods: The sample consisted of 672 intact Chinese families with preschool children (M age = 5.05 years, SD = 0.92; 52.5% boys) enrolled in nine kindergartens in Shanghai. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing parental home-based involvement reported by both parents, as well as positive psychological traits and social adaptation reported primarily by mothers. Latent profile analysis was conducted.