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The current study aims to clarify the associations as well as the pathways through which parenting and children's emotional intelligence (EI) may influence children's mental health with a cross-sectional sample of 675 school pupils (fourth grade, mean age = 10.4 years, 310 boy, 356 girls and 9 unidentified) in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression and path analyses were used to examine the relationships between parenting styles, children's trait EI, and their psychological symptoms, with children's psychological symptoms as the dependent variable. The results showed that authoritative parenting was positively associated with children's trait EI, which in turn had a negative effect on children's psychological symptoms, whereas authoritarian and Chinese-specific parenting styles had direct negative effect on children's psychological symptoms. These findings shed light on the pathways of the interrelations between different parenting styles, children's trait EI, and psychological symptoms, providing theoretical as well as practical implications for children's emotional development and mental health.

This study examines three parenting behaviors (support, involvement, and harsh control) in predicting children's loneliness and aggression across developmental transitions to adolescence in a Taiwanese sample. Two cohorts (n = 4,990) were followed for 5 years: a younger cohort (first-graders, 51.5%) and an older cohort (fourth-graders). Multilevel modeling for change across time was used to examine the baseline and rate of change of child outcomes. Overall, loneliness decreased and aggression increased across time. Maternal involvement predicted less loneliness at the baseline and a faster decreasing rate of loneliness. Harsh control predicted more aggression and support predicted less aggression at the baseline. Girls showed a faster increasing rate of aggression and slower declining rate of loneliness than boys. The findings highlight the need to identify effective parenting behaviors for loneliness and aggression with acknowledgment of cultural beliefs, and address girls' aggression. Implications for prevention/intervention in children's social functioning problems were discussed.

Students with physical symptoms and diseases may be at an increased risk of peer victimization. This study examined the associations of several medical conditions (obesity, asthma, allergy, epilepsy, and diabetes) with experience of physical, verbal, and relational victimization among children. A sample of 6,233 fourth-grade students from 314 elementary schools in Taiwan was recruited for the analysis. The mean age of the sample was 10.5, with an even distribution of gender (50.3% male and 49.7% female). Children with asthma, allergy, and epilepsy reported higher frequencies of peer victimization. Those who took daily medications or received treatment were also at a higher risk of being victimized. Diabetes and obesity were not found to be associated with peer victimization. The findings highlighted that children with physical conditions suffer maltreatment from peers. Sensitivity training should be provided to school health professionals, so they can evaluate the risk of victimization among students with special needs during assessment.