ArticleBMC psychology2026
Parental fear of happiness and childhood loneliness among Chinese primary students: the mediation effect of parent-child attachment and peer attachment.
Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
introductionChildhood loneliness has emerged as a pressing concern, undermining children's psychological well-being and social functioning. Although fear of happiness has been linked to poorer psychological functioning, little is known about how parental fear of happiness influences children's loneliness. The present study is the first, integrating variable-oriented and person-oriented approaches, to investigate the associations and mechanisms between parental fear of happiness and children's loneliness.
methodsThis study employed a two-wave prospective design with a 6-month interval. A total of 337 parent-child dyads (Mage = 10.39 ± 1.06 years at T1, 180 boys, age range = 9-13 years) were recruited. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the hypothesized indirect effects. Furthermore, latent profile analysis (LPA) and SEM were utilized to investigate the associations among various constructs.
resultsThe results showed that (1) parent-child attachment and peer attachment served as mediators in the association between parental fear of happiness and children's loneliness. A significant sequential indirect association was found: higher parental fear of happiness was associated with lower parent-child attachment, which was further associated with lower peer attachment and higher children's loneliness. (2) LPA identified a three-class solution for parental fear of happiness: the low (52.2%), moderate (37.4%), and high (10.4%) groups. (3) For the high versus the low PFOH group contrast, relative mediation effects via both parent-child attachment and peer attachment were significant. The relative sequential mediation effect involving parent-child attachment and peer attachment remained significant. For the moderate versus the low PFOH group contrast, parent-child attachment remained a significant mediator, and the sequential indirect effect was also significant. The relative mediation effect via peer attachment was not significant.
conclusionThese findings suggest that parental fear of happiness is associated with greater loneliness both directly and indirectly through attachment-related mechanisms, having implications for the prevention and intervention of children's loneliness.
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