Maternal Encouragement of Competitiveness and School Adjustment in Chinese Adolescents

Due to rapid urbanization and modernization, individual competitiveness has become increasingly important for individuals to acquire success in the contemporary Chinese society. This 1-year longitudinal study examined the relations between maternal encouragement of competitiveness and adjustment in Chinese adolescents (N = 1,493, 720 boys, Mage = 13 years). Maternal encouragement of competitiveness was assessed using child reports, and information on adolescents' adjustment was obtained from peer reports, teacher ratings, and school records. The results showed that maternal encouragement of competitiveness was negatively related to later teacher-rated learning problems. Moreover, maternal encouragement of competitiveness positively contributed to later peer-assessed assertiveness and social status among those who were initially high on assertiveness and social status. The results were discussed in the Chinese context.