Profiles of Parent–Child Relationship Quality and Emotional Adjustment in Chinese Children: Role of Unsociability

Abstract

As youth develop physically, socially and cognitively, parent–child interactions increasingly centre on children's emotional and instrumental support, reflecting a shift from practical caregiving to shared experiences and emotional communication. Building on this developmental shift, the present study surveyed 919 elementary and middle school children to identify distinct profiles of parent–child relationship quality and to examine their associations with children's emotional adjustment. Additionally, a multi‐categorical mediating model was employed to explore the potential role of unsociability in these associations. The results revealed the following: (1) parent–child relationship quality was best characterized by four latent profiles: the Disengaged Profile (14.7%), the Moderate‐Low Profile (32.4%), the Differential Parenting Profile (6.5%) and the Harmonious‐High Support Profile (46.4%); (2) children in the Disengaged Profile and the Differential Parenting Profile reported the highest levels of emotional maladjustment, whereas children in the Harmonious‐High Support Profile reported the lowest level and the Moderate‐Low Profile showed the average level; (3) Unsociability mediated the differences in the Chinese children's emotional adjustment between the Disengaged , Moderate‐Low , Differential Parenting and Harmonious‐High Support Profile . These findings highlight the importance of positive relationships with both parents and their links to children's emotional well‐being.