Peer-reviewed article
Parenting health literacy and nurturing care ability: the mediating role of parenting stress
Yuechong Cui, Shuting Si, Lingchen Li, Xuying Cao, Guannan Bai et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how parenting health literacy affects nurturing care ability among caregivers of young children in China. The research found that parents with better health literacy provide better care, and that this relationship is partly explained by reduced parenting stress. Parenting stress mediated about one-third of the overall effect, with particularly strong effects in areas like play and responsive care.
Key points
- Higher parenting health literacy was significantly associated with lower parenting stress (β=-0.12, p<0.001)
- Higher parenting health literacy was significantly associated with greater nurturing care ability (β=0.10, p<0.001)
- Parenting stress mediated 33.68% of the association between parenting health literacy and nurturing care ability
- Stronger mediation effects were found for parenting style (42.31%), play experience ability (37.81%) and responsive care (37.26%)
- The association works both directly and indirectly through stress reduction
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study, so causal direction cannot be definitively established. The study was conducted in one city in China, which may limit generalisability to other settings.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Parenting health literacy is essential for effective caregiving, yet its impact on nurturing care ability remains insufficiently studied. This study aimed to investigate the association between parenting health literacy and nurturing care ability, with a focus on the mediating role of parenting stress. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3623 caregivers of children aged 0-6 years in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China. Standardised instruments were used to assess parenting health literacy, parenting stress and nurturing care ability. Mediation analysis quantified the contribution of parenting stress to the association between health literacy and nurturing care ability, and domain-specific mediation effects were examined. RESULTS: Higher parenting health literacy was significantly associated with lower parenting stress (β=-0.12, p<0.001) and greater nurturing care ability (β=0.10, p<0.001). Parenting stress mediated 33.68% of the association between parenting health literacy and nurturing care ability. Domain-specific analyses revealed stronger mediation for parenting style (42.31%), play experience ability (37.81%) and responsive care (37.26%) compared with other domains. CONCLUSIONS: Parenting health literacy improves nurturing care ability both directly and indirectly by reducing parenting stress, with particularly pronounced effects in emotionally demanding domains. Interventions to enhance parenting outcomes should integrate health literacy promotion with stress management strategies.