Mediating effect of parental harsh discipline on the relationship between parental marital satisfaction and children’s life satisfaction in China

Family is an essential element for affecting children’s life satisfaction. Exploring possible family risk factors for children’s life satisfaction is vital to improve children’s mental health. This study aimed to examine the associations between marital satisfaction and children’s life satisfaction and the mediating role of parental harsh discipline (including psychological aggression and corporal punishment) in these associations in Chinese societies. A total of 739 students from grades 5–6 and their parents were recruited from public primary schools in Jinan, Shandong Province. Structural equation models were conducted to test the mediating role of parental harsh discipline in the associations between marital satisfaction and children’s life satisfaction. Findings revealed that mothers’ but not fathers’ marital satisfaction was directly associated with children’s life satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that parental corporal punishment and fathers’ psychological aggression mediated the associations between marital satisfaction and children’s life satisfaction, but the mediating role of mothers’ psychological aggression was not significant. This study found that low marital satisfaction and parental harsh discipline were risk factors for children’s life satisfaction. Besides, parental harsh discipline played a mediating role in the link between marital satisfaction and children’s life satisfaction.