What the study found
Parents’ family-of-origin invalidation experiences were grouped into three profiles, and two of them were linked to lower children’s prosocial behavior. The associations appeared in contexts where spouses showed more non-supportive and less supportive emotion coping styles.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that the findings identify distinct pathways connecting invalidating family-of-origin dynamics with children’s prosocial development. They also say the results support the tripartite model of family influence and offer culturally relevant insights for fostering prosocial behavior in children.
What the researchers tested
The study used a six-month longitudinal design with 837 families in Shanghai, China, and followed children aged 31–83 months. The researchers examined how parents’ family-of-origin experiences related to children’s prosocial behavior through parental emotion coping styles.
What worked and what didn't
The researchers identified three profiles: an effective parents’ family-of-origin profile, a father-invalidating family profile, and a both-invalidating family profile. Compared with the effective profile, both the father-invalidating and both-invalidating profiles were associated with lower children’s prosocial behavior when the spouse had higher non-supportive and lower supportive emotion coping styles.
The both-invalidating profile was also associated with lower prosocial behavior when parents themselves had lower supportive coping styles, and this association appeared stronger than the one for the father-invalidating profile.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed study limitations. The findings are based on families in Shanghai, China, so the available summary does not say how far they apply beyond this group.
Key points
- Parents’ family-of-origin invalidation experiences fell into three profiles.
- Two profiles — father-invalidating and both-invalidating — were linked to lower child prosocial behavior.
- These links appeared when spouses showed more non-supportive and less supportive emotion coping styles.
- The both-invalidating profile was also linked to lower prosocial behavior when parents had lower supportive coping styles.
- The study used a six-month longitudinal design with 837 families in Shanghai, China.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Parents’ invalidation profiles linked to lower child prosocial behavior
- Authors:
- Youli Wang, Honghuan Fang, Baocheng Pan, Jingkai Sun, Ziyi Feng, Bijing Ren, Keman Yuan, Pin Xu, Bowen Xiao, Yan Li
- Institutions:
- Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Shanghai Normal University, Carleton University
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-27
- OpenAlex record:
- View
Get the weekly research newsletter
Stay current with peer-reviewed research without reading academic papers — one filtered digest, every Friday.