Chinese Parents' Coping and Professional Help-Seeking for Children with Conduct Problems

This study investigated factors that influenced Chinese parents’ coping and professional help-seeking for children with conduct problems. Ninety-seven Chinese parents of children aged five to fifteen participated in this study. Eighty mothers and seventeen fathers of children with conduct problems were recruited through primary schools, clinics and after-school programs to complete surveys to assess their perception of their child’s problem, their parenting efficacy and stress, and their cultural values and shame associated with their child’s problem. Regression analyses of the effects of parental factors on coping and professional help-seeking showed that parental attribution of stability,parenting stress and efficacy emerged as significant predictors for professional help-seeking. These data also did not provide support for effects of Chinese values on parental shame and professional help-seeking. The findings of this study highlight the importance of understanding parents’ psychological factors in the design of interventions and outreach to the parents of children with conduct problems.