Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parenting practices and creativity (both general and malignant creativity) in a representative sample of college students in China, and to explore the potential mediating role of resilience.
Methods: The study was conducted among 1201 Chinese college students who completed questionnaires on parenting practices, creativity, and resilience. The parenting practices were assessed using the short-form Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran for Chinese, while creativity was measured using the Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale and the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was used to assess resilience.
Results: The results showed that parental warmth had a positive correlation with general creativity, but a negative correlation with malevolent creativity. In contrast, parental rejection and over-protection had a negative correlation with general creativity, but a positive correlation with malevolent creativity. Furthermore, resilience fully mediated the relationship between emotional warmth, rejection, and general creativity, and partially mediated the relationship between over-protection and general creativity and between all parenting practices and malevolent creativity.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that parenting practices have a significant impact on creativity, and the type of creativity manifested may depend on the specific parenting practices. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of resilience as a potential mediator in the relationship between parenting practices and creativity. The implications of these findings for parenting practices and interventions to foster creativity and resilience are discussed.
Keywords: college students, parenting practices, general creativity, malevolent creativity, resilience