THE MECHANISM BEHIND MOTHER’S NEGATIVE PARENTING STYLE ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying parenting styles on college student’s mental health. 935 college students aged 19–21 years were surveyed using the short-form of Egna Minnen Betraffande Uppfostran (S-EMBU), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-2nd Edition (AAQ-II), to examine the effects of parenting styles on negative emotions in college students and the mediating effect of experiential avoidance. The results showed that: (1) Parenting style can affect experiential avoidance and negative emotions; (2) Experiential avoidance has a partial mediating effect between parenting style and negative emotions; (3) Father’s negative parenting style and experiential avoidance have a chain mediating effect on mother’s negative parenting style and negative emotions. These findings suggest that parenting styles have a direct effect on the negative emotions of college students and an indirect effect through experiential avoidance.