Lan Luo1, Yun Shen1, Zuntao Gu2, Linbing Wang1, Shijian Sun3,*
Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.5, pp. 713-721, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.066529
- 24 October 2025
Abstract This cross-sectional study examined how parenting styles influence college students’ romantic attitudes through para-social relationships. A total of 571 college students (females = 71.2%) completed the Short-form Parenting Style Scale, the Para-social Relationship Scale, and the Questionnaire on College Students’ View of Marriage and Love. Mediation was examined with bootstrap-corrected structural equation modelling (5000 resamples). Results indicated that maternal rejection (indirect effect β = −0.019, 95% CI = −0.055–−0.001, p < 0.05) and overprotection (indirect effect β = −0.02, 95% CI = −0.055–−0.001, p < 0.05) indirectly undermined college students’ marriage views by intensifying para-social relationships, whereas More >