Abstract
Previous research has established the relation between intact family structure and children’s adjustment and subjective well-being. However, the mechanism through which family structure was associated with children’s subjective well-being remained understudied. The current research investigated the sequential mediation effects of maternal attachment, peer attachment and self-efficacy on the relationship between family structure and emerging adults’ subjective well-being. The current sample included 538 college students from a Southeastern province in China, including 193 males and 345 females, with the average age of 19.61 (SD = 1.36). Those from intact families (n = 425, 79%) reported higher levels of subjective well-being than their counterparts from non-intact families (n = 113, 21%). In addition, non-intact family structure was associated with lower levels of maternal attachment, lower levels of peer attachment and general self-efficacy, which in turn was associated with lower levels of subjective well-being. The current findings added to the literature regarding the important role of intact family structure on emerging adults’ subjective well-being. Future prevention and intervention efforts might need to re-establish the security in maternal and peer attachment among youth from non-intact families in order to promote better adjustment and subjective well-being.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in Xiamen University (Grant No. 20720151138), “2011” Collaborative Innovation Center for Public Policy and Local Governance of Fujian Province, China & Public Service Quality Center of Xiamen University, China, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in Xiamen University (Grant No. 20720171004).
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Guo, X. The Association Between Family Structure and Subjective Well-Being Among Emerging Adults in China: Examining the Sequential Mediation Effects of Maternal Attachment, Peer Attachment, and Self-Efficacy. J Adult Dev 26, 22–30 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9293-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9293-1