Emotion coaching intervention for Chinese mothers of preschoolers: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Preschoolers’ emotional development typically hinges on the family emotional climate and their interactions with caregivers. This study used a randomized controlled trial to examine the treatment efficacy of an emotion coaching parenting intervention culturally adapted from the Tuning in to Kids® (TIK) program in enhancing Chinese mothers’ emotional responsiveness in parenting. A total of eighty-nine mothers with preschoolers were randomly assigned to either the intervention or waitlist control group. The TIK group received six weekly sessions of intervention on emotion coaching parenting training. The training significantly improved participating mothers’ positive involvement and the use of emotion coaching in their parenting practices. More expressive encouragement and emotion-focused reactions to children’s emotion expression, and less punitive parenting and emotional dismissing were also found in the mothers after training. Our findings provided the first evidence in a non-Western sample to support the effectiveness of such program in enhancing parents’ efficacy in facilitating their children’s emotional development.