Research data for：Parental physical abuse and emotional and behavioral problems in Chinese school-aged children: The moderating role of HPA Activity

While the negative associations between parental physical abuse and child emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) are well-documented, the potential moderators of these associations remain underexplored. Contemporary developmental perspectives suggest that biological vulnerabilities may influence the extent to which environmental factors affect child development. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the moderating role of HPA-axis activity, a potential physiological marker, in the relationship between maternal and paternal physical abuse and child EBPs in China. The participants consisted of 150 elementary school-age children and their parents. Parental physical abuse was measured based on maternal report and paternal report. Children self-reported their EBPs and provided morning and afternoon saliva samples over three consecutive days. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the moderating role of HPA-axis activity in the relationship between physical abuse and child EBPs. Both maternal and paternal physical abuse were positively associated with child EBPs. High afternoon cortisol and flatter diurnal rhythm exacerbated the relations between maternal physical abuse and child EBPs.