The present study examined the moderating effects of both parents’ warmth in the relations between parental harsh discipline (psychological aggression and corporal punishment) and migrant children’s anxiety and parent and child gender differences in the moderating mechanism in Chinese society. This study used a sample of 477 elementary school-age children and both their parents in Chinese migrant families. We constructed a Structural Equation Model to explore the relation between parental harsh discipline (psychological aggression and corporal punishment) and migrant children’s anxiety and the moderating role of parental warmth. Our findings revealed that maternal but not paternal psychological aggression was found to significantly predict boys’ anxiety. Moreover, maternal warmth exacerbated the relations between paternal corporal punishment and girls’ anxiety. The findings provide partial support for the “healthy context paradox” and highlight the importance of considering how the broader family emotional context may interact with parental harsh discipline to influence child adjustment.

Objective: The present study examined the moderating and mediating roles of teacher–student relationships (TSR) and peer relationships in the effects of parental harsh discipline on children’s anxiety in Chinese society. Method: A total of 1,040 children (53.8% boys; Mage = 10.64 years, SD = 1.12) and their parents were participated in this study. We constructed the structural equation model to explore the effects of paternal and maternal harsh discipline on children’s anxiety, as well as the moderating and mediating roles of teacher–student relationships and peer relationships. Results: The findings revealed that maternal but not paternal harsh discipline predicted children’s anxiety 6 months later. Better teacher–student relationships intensified the negative effect of maternal harsh discipline on children’s anxiety, whereas peer relationships did not moderate the effect. Teacher–student relationships and peer rejection interactively moderated the effect of maternal harsh discipline on children’s anxiety. Specifically, high levels of peer rejection intensified the impact of teacher–student relationships on the effect of maternal harsh discipline on children’s anxiety. Moreover, teacher–student relationships also served as mediators in the negative effect of maternal harsh discipline on children’s anxiety. Conclusions: Findings provide partial support for the “healthy context paradox” (negative impact of parental harsh discipline may be more severe in healthy contexts) and highlight the importance of considering the effects of the home–school mesosystems on child adjustment.