TY  - EJOU
AU  - Chen, Xi 
AU  - Khir, Azlina Mohd 
AU  - Hamsan, Hanina Halimatusaadiah 
AU  - Burhan, Nik Ahmad Sufian 

TI  - From Attachment Insecurity to Life Satisfaction: The Pathway of Psychological Needs Satisfaction among Chinese University Students
T2  - International Journal of Mental Health Promotion

PY  - 
VL  - 
IS  - 
SN  - 2049-8543

AB  - <b>Background:</b> Life satisfaction represents a core indicator of subjective well-being among university students. Yet the mechanisms linking adult attachment orientations to life satisfaction have not been fully elucidated, particularly within Chinese cultural contexts. Integrating Attachment Theory with Self-Determination Theory, this study aims to investigate how attachment anxiety and avoidance are associated with life satisfaction, with autonomy, competence, and relatedness proposed as parallel mediators. <b>Methods:</b> Using multi-stage stratified random sampling, 488 Chinese university students (48.0% male; Mean<sub>age</sub> = 20.15, SD = 1.42) were recruited from four universities in Anhui Province, China. Participants completed validated self-report instruments assessing attachment anxiety and avoidance, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and life satisfaction. A parallel mediation model was tested using structural equation modeling with bias-corrected bootstrapping (5000 resamples). <b>Results:</b> The hypothesized model demonstrated acceptable fit (<i>χ</i><sup>2</sup>/df = 3.94, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.078). Attachment anxiety and avoidance were each negatively associated with all three psychological needs (<i>β</i>s ranging from −0.25 to −0.51, all <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), which in turn were positively related to life satisfaction (<i>β</i>s ranging from 0.28 to 0.30, all <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Total indirect effects were significant for both attachment anxiety (<i>β</i> = −0.33, 95% CI [−0.42, −0.24]) and avoidance (<i>β</i> = −0.25, 95% CI [−0.34, −0.18]), whereas direct effects were nonsignificant, indicating full mediation. The model accounted for 49.2% of the variance in life satisfaction. <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings suggest that insecure attachment is associated with lower life satisfaction indirectly through reduced fulfillment of basic psychological needs. Practically, interventions need not focus exclusively on modifying attachment styles; rather, fostering need-supportive environments represents a viable and culturally appropriate pathway for enhancing well-being among Chinese university students.
KW  - Attachment insecurity; attachment anxiety; attachment avoidance; life satisfaction; basic psychological needs satisfaction; autonomy; competence; relatedness

DO  - 10.32604/ijmhp.2026.080122