Parental depression and conduct problems among Chinese migrant children with oppositional defiant disorder symptoms: Testing moderated mediation model

Migrant children have greatly increased in number due to the China’s urbanization and migrant children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms are at high risk of conduct problems. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between parental depression and conduct problems among Chinese migrant children with ODD symptoms, and to investigate whether parent-child closeness and parent-child conflict mediated and child emotion regulation moderated the linkage. Totally, 370 parents of migrant children who met the DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ODD symptoms from 10 elementary schools participated in the study. Their class master teachers were included as well. Results revealed that parental depression was positively associated with conduct problems of migrant children with ODD symptoms. Both parent-child closeness and conflict partially mediated the link between parental depression and child conduct problems, while the mediating role of parent-child conflict was stronger. Child emotion regulation moderated the association between parental depression and parent-child closeness. Specifically, for children with low level, but not high, of emotion regulation, parental depression was negatively related to parent-child closeness. The study applied existing emotional security theory into migrant children with ODD symptoms and suggested that interventions may effectively reduce conduct problems in migrant children with ODD symptoms by targeting parental depression, parent-child closeness as well as conflict, and child emotion regulation.