How does Maternal Absence Affect Adolescent Loneliness? The Role of Rejection Sensitivity and Friendship Quality
Jiani Zang1, Jingxin Zhao2, Shufen Xing1,*
1 School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
2 School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250300, China
* Corresponding Author: Shufen Xing. Email: 
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Family Risk Factors and Child & Adolescent Mental Health: Perspectives from the Chinese Cultural Context)
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.074636
Received 15 October 2025; Accepted 15 December 2025; Published online 26 December 2025
Abstract
Objectives: Loneliness among left-behind adolescents is the most frequently reported emotional problem because of parental neglect. The present study explored the relationship between maternal absence and adolescent loneliness as well as its mechanisms.
Methods: The study included 305 participants (Mean
age = 15.99 ± 0.81, 48.9% females) in southeast China, and constructed a chain mediation model to test the roles of rejection sensitivity and friendship quality. Parent absence types, rejection sensitivity, friendship quality, and adolescent loneliness were all assessed with questionnaires.
Results: The results showed that adolescents with a mother absent (both-parent absent, mother-only absent) experienced higher levels of loneliness than those with a mother not absent (father-only absent, non-parent absent) (β = 0.3137, 95%CI [0.0849, 0.5425],
p < 0.01). Besides, the mediating roles of rejection sensitivity (β = 0.0344, 95%CI [0.0020, 0.0808]) and friendship quality (β = 0.1198, 95% CI [0.0049, 0.2428]) and their chain mediating role were found significant between maternal absence and loneliness (β = 0.0245, 95% CI [0.0015, 0.0575]).
Conclusions: These findings have revealed the significant impact of maternal absence on adolescent loneliness and provide important practical implications for educators to reduce adolescent loneliness.
Keywords
Left behind; maternal absence; loneliness; rejection sensitivity; friendship quality
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