<p>This study investigates the impact of multiple family risk factors on socio-emotional competence (SEC) development among Chinese students through an innovative integration of the Cumulative Risk Model (CRM) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Drawing on a large sample of data from a regional educational quality monitoring project in China, the study examined six family risk factors: incomplete family structure, poor parental education, parent-child separation, family financial hardship, lack of family intimacy, and family conflict. Findings from preliminary analysis validated CRM’s applicability in understanding the cumulative impact of these family risks on SEC development. Formal analysis identified lack of family intimacy as the singular and sufficient risk factor configuration leading to inferior SEC development, underscoring its pivotal role as a sufficient condition compared to other risk combinations or individual factors. This study has three important contributions: Theoretically, this study pioneers the application of CRM beyond singular risk factors, offering insights into how cumulative family risks collectively influence SEC outcomes. Methodologically, this study advances CRM by integrating novel QCA, revealing intricate interactions among family risk factors and elucidating necessary and sufficient conditions that impact SEC development. Practically, the research findings emphasize the critical role of addressing family intimacy in interventions aimed at enhancing holistic development and socio-emotional well-being among Chinese children and adolescents. Given the exploratory nature of QCA, this research calls for future efforts to refine family risk indices selection and comprehensively expand SEC indicators to deepen understandings of how family dynamics impact on student development.</p>