The mediating role of Self-Competence in the relationship between parental involvement and support and Children’s social Skills: Evidence from China

This study explores the possible mediating role of children’s self-competence between parental involvement and support and social skills. Five hundred and ninety-five children’s parents and teachers responded to the questionnaire consisting of the following instruments: the Chinese Parental Involvement and Support Scale for Preschool Children (CPISSPC), Children's Social Skills Parent Assessment Questionnaire (CSSPAQ), and the Self-Competence Teacher Assessment Questionnaire (SCTAQ). The results indicated that: (1) children who received higher levels of parental involvement and support showed better self-competence and social skills; (2) the relationship from parental involvement and support to social skills was partially mediated by children’s self-competence, which indicated that children received higher levels of parental involvement and support would develop better self-competence, and thus lead to the enhancement of their social skills. The findings of the present research indicate that increasing parental involvement and support could be an effective strategy of family intervention for children who are disadvantaged in social skills and risk poor social adjustment.