Xiaoning Zhang,1,2,* Qiong Zhou,3,* Jun-Li Cao4 

1School of Nursing, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311121, People’s Republic of China; 2Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for Research in Early Development and Childcare, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311121, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nursing, Jiangsu Lianyungang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lianyungang, 222007, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xiaoning Zhang, Email xiaoning.zhang22@outlook.com

Background: Research on the specific pathways from maternal nurturance to early child development remains limited. Grounded in transactional theory, this study is the first to examine these pathways through the parent–child relationship.
Methods: This longitudinal study involved mothers of children aged 1– 3 years. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire, and Child-Parent Relationship Scale were collected at Time 1, when children were 1 year old. At Time 2, when children were 3 years old, Caregiver-Reported Early Development Instruments were measured. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore direct and indirect pathways from maternal nurturance to early child development.
Results: A total of 1145 mother-child dyads participated, with children averaging 32 months (SD = 6.4) and mothers averaging 28.7 years (SD = 4.0). Maternal nurturance had significant direct (β = 0.271), indirect (β = 0.065), and total (β = 0.336) effects on early child development. Direct effects accounted for 80.7% of the total effects, while indirect effects accounted for 19.3%. Maternal nurturance indirectly predicted higher early child development through increased parent–child closeness (β = 0.048), explaining 14.3% of the total effects. Maternal nurturance indirectly promoted early child development through reduced parent–child conflict (β = 0.017), explaining 5.1% of the total effects.
Conclusion: The novelty of this study lies in its demonstration of the mediating role of the parent–child relationship in the effect of maternal nurturance on early child development. This longitudinal study provides insights for governments agencies, policymakers, and healthcare workers to develop intervention programs that enhance maternal nurturance through the parent–child relationship to promote early child development.

Keywords: maternal nurturance, early child development, parent–child relationship