Relationship Between Cross-Generational Coalitions and Depression Among Chinese College Students: The Chain Mediating Roles of Self-Differentiation and Interpersonal Adaptation

作者：Cong Peng, Yan Shen, Zhenyun Zhang, Hongqun Chen, Shasha Ye, Yuanyuan Li, Ying Zhang, Qiufang Ren · 发表于：Psychology Research and Behavior Management · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.2147/prbm.s525764 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development、Cultural Differences and Values、Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Background: Research has demonstrated a significant association between cross-generational coalitions and children's emotional well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear, and prior studies have predominantly treated cross-generational coalitions as a singular construct, neglecting the varied impacts and pathways of different types of cross-generational coalitions on college students' depression. Purpose: Grounded in family systems theory, this study investigates the relationships and distinct underlying mechanisms linking three forms of cross-generational coalitions (coalition with fathers, coalition with mothers, and unstable coalition) to depression among college students, focusing on the chain mediating roles of self-differentiation and interpersonal adaptation. Methods: A total of 493 Chinese college students aged 17-25 years (55.2% male) completed anonymous questionnaires. The PROCESS macro Model 6 and bootstrap methods were employed to analyze the chain mediating effects of self-differentiation and interpersonal adaptation between cross-generational coalitions and college students' depression. Results: Each type of cross-generational coalition exhibited a significant indirect association with depression via the chain mediation of self-differentiation and interpersonal adaptation. Moreover, while all coalition types impacted college students' depression through the mediating effect of self-differentiation, only stable coalition with f...