The relationship between family functioning and psychotic-like experiences of college students: Chain multiple mediating effects

Abstract

Aim: To explore the mechanism of the relationship between college students' family functioning and psychotic-like experiences, a chain multi-intermediary model is constructed to investigate the multiple mediating effects of interpersonal adaptation, sleep quality and loneliness on college students' family functioning and psychotic-like experiences.

Methods: Seven hundred seven college students in China were surveyed by using the Family Care Index Questionnaire, Loneliness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire, College Students' Interpersonal Adaptability Subscale and Community Assessment of Psychiatric Experiences.

Results: (a) The detection rate of psychotic-like experiences among college students is 72.14%, of which 6.93% reported frequent psychotic-like experiences; (b) There is a significant correlation between family functioning, sleep quality, loneliness, interpersonal adaptation and psychotic-like experiences of college students; (c) Interpersonal adaptation, loneliness and sleep quality of college students have chain multiple mediating effect in the relationship between family functioning and psychotic-like experiences.

Conclusion: The results reveal the mechanism of the relationship between family functioning and psychotic-like experiences, which helps us to better understand how family functioning affects the occurrence and development of college students' psychotic-like experiences.

Keywords: chain multiple mediating effects; family functioning; interpersonal adaptation; loneliness; psychotic-like experiences; sleep quality.