Parent-child attachment and mental health in young adolescents: a moderated mediation analysis

Rong Tan; Yizhi Yang; Tao Huang; Xuanxuan Lin; Hua Gao

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1298485

Parent-child attachment and mental health in young adolescents: a moderated mediation analysis

Front Psychol. 2023 Dec 22:14:1298485. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1298485. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Rong Tan^#¹, Yizhi Yang^#², Tao Huang³, Xuanxuan Lin⁴, Hua Gao¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
² Yiyang Normal College, Yiyang, China.
³ Department of Preschool Education, Jiangmen Preschool Education College, Jiangmen, China.
⁴ Institute of Education Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: The parent-child attachment has a significant impact on adolescents' mental health. However, the influence of psychological quality and coping styles on this connection remains unknown. This study examined the relationship between parent-child attachment and adolescent mental health, by exploring the mediating role of psychological quality and the moderating role of coping styles.

Methods: A total of 633 young adolescents participated in this study after signing informed consent. They anonymously completed questionnaires including the Parent and Peer Attachment Scale (Parent Attachment Section), the Coping Styles Inventory for Middle School Students, the Brief Version of the Psychological Quality Inventory for Middle School Students, and the Chinese Middle School Students'Psychological Quality Inventory. After controlling for gender, grade, left-behind category, only-child status, and family structure.

Results: The moderated mediation model yielded the following findings: (a) parent-child attachment significantly and positively predicted adolescents'mental health; (b) psychological quality partially mediated the relationship between parent-child attachment and adolescents' mental health; (c) the association between psychological quality and mental health was moderated by task-focused coping.

Discussion: This moderation effect was more substantial for students with low task-focused coping behaviors, which aligns with the "exclusionary hypothesis" model. Therefore, our results indicate that parent-child attachment indirectly impacts mental health, influenced by internal and external factors. These findings carry significant implications for safeguarding and promoting adolescents' mental well-being.

Keywords: adolescents; coping styles; mental health; parent–child attachment; psychological quality; regulatory mediators.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the National Natural Foundation of China (41871146); Research Project on Educational Teaching Reform of Undergraduate Colleges and Universities in Fujian Province (Graduate Teaching Reform Project) (FBJG20180314)”; and Grant for the Research Project on Graduate Teaching Reform of Fujian Normal University [Normal University Research (2018) No. 46].