The impact of perceived social support on children's problem behaviors: the parallel mediating roles of attentional bias.

backgroundChildren’s problem behaviors, such as anxiety, depression, aggression, and social withdrawal, can have lasting effects on their mental health and development. Understanding the factors that contribute to or mitigate these behaviors is crucial for early intervention and prevention efforts. The present study investigated the relationship between perceived social support and children’s problem behaviors and the mediating role of attention to positive and negative information.

methodsTo investigate the mediating role of children’s attention to positive and negative information in the relationship between perceived social support and problem behavior, we conducted a survey of 633 primary school students using the perceived social support scale, the strengths and difficulties questionnaire, and the attention to positive and negative information scale.

resultsThe results revealed that: (1) After controlling for demographic variables gender, grade, and age, perceived social support significantly negatively predicted children’s problem behaviors; (2) Attention to positive and negative information significantly mediated the relationship between perceived social support and children’s problem behaviors. To summarize, perceived social support reduces children’s harmful behaviors through improving attention to good information. At the same time, perceived social support also minimizes problem behaviors by limiting attention to negative information.

conclusionThe findings from this study suggest that social support plays a crucial role in mitigating children’s psychological difficulties through its impact on cognitive mechanisms, such as attentional bias. By examining both the direct and mediated effects of social support on problem behaviors, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how to enhance children’s emotional regulation and behavior through early intervention.