A latent class analysis of psycho-behavioural adaptation in children and its relationship with sense of parenting competence and psychological distress of parents

Abstract Background The healthy development of psychological behaviour among children has been widely concerned by the whole society. However, little is known about different categories or attributes of their psycho-behavioural adaptation. The purpose of this study to identifies the latent classes of psycho-behavioural adaptation in children and explores the relationships of these classes with sense of parenting competence and psychological distress of parents Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted in one primary and secondary education school in mainland China from September 2022 to December 2022. The parents of children (3–18 years old) were invited to participate in the study. We used standardized questionnaires to collect data. A latent class analysis was performed to identify children's psycho-behavioural adaptation classes. Results The study recruited 242 participants. Two classes of psycho-behavioural adaptation were identified, namely, the psycho-behavioural problems group and the psycho-behavioural health group. The differences between latent classes were statistically significant regarding the child's age and parental health. The differences between latent classes were statistically significant in terms of sense of parenting competence, satisfaction, efficacy, and psychological distress score. The sense of parenting competence and parental psychological distress influenced the latent class of psycho-behavioural adaptation in children. Conclusion There is heterogeneity in the psycho-behavioural adaptation of children and differences in the sense of parenting competence and psychological distress of parents in each category. Targeted interventions should be developed and implemented based on the characteristics of each psycho-behavioural adaptation class to maximize interventions' effectiveness and promote parental and child well-being.