The Relationship Between Overparenting and Social Avoidance Among Emerging Adults: Mediating Role of Peer Attachment and Gender Differences

Abstract

Purpose

We aim to explore the relationship between overparenting and social avoidance among emerging adults, and the mediating effects of peer attachment and gender differences.

Participants and Methods

A total of 1161 Chinese college students completed the questionnaire. The structural equation model was established to validate the main effect model and the mediation model.

Results

The results found that both paternal and maternal overparenting positively predicted social avoidance among emerging adults. Both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety played a significant mediating role in the relationship between paternal overparenting and social avoidance. Attachment anxiety played a significant mediating role in the relationship between maternal overparenting and social avoidance, while, the mediating effect of attachment avoidance was not significant. In addition, gender differences were found in the mediating effects of peer attachment. The mediating effect of attachment anxiety in males’ families had an opposite-gender matching effect, while in females’ families, the mediating effect of attachment avoidance had an opposite-gender matching effect.

Conclusion

This study contributes to the understanding of the effects of overparenting on emerging adults, enriching empirical research in related fields.

Keywords:

• overparenting
• social avoidance
• peer attachment
• gender differences
• emerging adults

Abbreviations

FST, family system theory; SPFL, the systematic perspective of family–peer linkage; CFI, comparative fitting index; RMSEA, approximate root mean square error; SES, socioeconomic status; SRMR, standardized root mean square residual; SSS, subjective socioeconomic status; TLI, Tucker-Lewis index.

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

This study conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University. All participants signed an informed consent form before starting the questionnaire, could withdraw from the questionnaire at any time, and received RMB 10 reward (approximately USD 1.4) after completing the questionnaire.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all those who contributed to this study.

Disclosure

The authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that may be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded by Hunan Province Social Science Achievements Evaluation Committee Project (XSP24YBC297).