Parent-Child Attachment and Social Adaptation Behavior in Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of School Bonding

Abstract

Family and school are two main places for adolescents to develop socialization, which can be contributed by good parent-child attachment and school bonding. Earlier studies suggested that parent-child attachment played an important role in promoting the formation of high-level school bonding, which is also likely to influence social adaptation. This study aimed to explore the relationship between parent-child attachment and social adaptation, and the mediating role of school bonding. Using stratified cluster sampling, 1,440 college students were first randomly selected from four universities and then stratified by specialty with a balance between genders and grades. Participants voluntarily participated in this study and completed questionnaires including the Parent-Child Attachment Scale, School Bonding Scale, and Social Adaptation Scale. Finally, a total of 1,320 college students were included in the analysis (59.5% female; aged 18–24years, Mage=20.39±1.52years). Data analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 23.0. The results indicated that the overall level of parent-child attachment in females (M=75.72, SD=12.36) was significantly higher than that of males (M=73.71, SD=12.68; F=8.22, p<0.01). Difference was also found between sibling status (F=13.90, p<0.001), and the only-child (M=76.16, SD=12.72) scored significantly higher than their counterparts (non-only children, M=73.60, SD=12.19). Parent-child attachment was positively correlated with social adaptation (p<0.01) and school bonding (p<0.01), while school bonding was also positively correlated with social adaptation score (p<0.01). School bonding played a partial intermediate role in the relationship between parent-child attachment and social adaptation (β=0.15). Our research identified a direct influence of parent-child attachment and an indirect influence via school bonding on social adaptation among college students.

Direct and indirect effects of father-child attachment on academic burnout in college students

“…Furthermore, this study found that father-child attachment significantly affected college students’ sense of school belonging, and sense of school belonging partially mediates the relationship between father-child attachment and academic burnout, supporting Hypothesis 3. This finding is in line with previous research on the relationship between parent–child attachment and school belonging ( Yin et al, 2021 ). In traditional Chinese families, fathers serve as role models, and children often mimic their fathers’ behaviors and ways of handling things, forming a set of patterns during interactions with their fathers.…”

“…To date, the external factors influencing academic burnout among college students have received less attention from researchers compared to individual internal factors, with limited research focusing on key external factors such as family and school. Father-child attachment and mother–child attachment, as one of the most important proximal environmental factors, provide a solid foundation for individuals’ cognitive development and significantly influence their social adaptation ( Yin et al, 2021 ). A few studies have confirmed the impact of parent–child attachment on learning burnout.…”

“…These positive interpersonal relationships enable students to integrate into the university environment more quickly, thereby developing a sense of school belonging. Limited studies have shown that parent–child attachment is an important factor influencing college students’ sense of school belonging ( Yin et al, 2021 ), and parental disengagement and adolescent school attachment were closely related ( Shochet et al, 2007 ; Oldfield et al, 2016 ). However, these studies examined parent–child attachment as a combined variable of father-child and mother–child attachment.…”

Mediating the Role of Perceived Social Support Between Frailty and Self-Perceived Burden in Elderly Patients with Diabetes

“…It is an effective way to gain positive emotions and assistance, and it plays an important role in psychological responses. 9 The changes in physiological function affect a person's perceptions, experiences and adaptation levels, which means that frailty levels may also influence PSS. Therefore, this study made the hypothesis that PSS is correlated with frailty and SPB.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

“…32 or modified it slightly, "defining the 'other significant person' dimension in the scale exactly as 'teacher and classmates', to refer to the support from both teachers and classmates". 35,36 However, for students, "support from teachers and support from classmates" obviously cannot be confused, and there is also no revision on the scale text. In addition, some research notes use the version revised by Huang et al, 31 but their interpretation of the three factors of the scale is not consistent with the original one; 37 or the introduction of the Chinese version of the social support scale adopted in its text is not enough, or the structure of the scale is inconsistent with that of the original scale 38,39 and so on.…”