The Effect And Mechanism Of Childhood Harsh Parental Discipline On Adolescents’ Loneliness

As a “modern epidemic”,loneliness is a serious problem in adolescents psychological problems,but also an urgent problem to be solved.Although loneliness persists throughout a person’s life,adolescence is a period of high incidence and widely spread.Loneliness not only negatively impacts the mental and physical health of adolescents but also increases the risk of early death.Therefore,it is necessary to investigate the influencing factors and the potential effect mechanism of adolescent loneliness.Based on the loneliness development model,the victim schema model,gender theory,cognitive processes theory,social needs theory,and psychological mediation framework,this study combined early family factors(childhood harsh parental discipline)and the present stage of individual cognitive factors(core self-evaluation)and social relationship factors(peer attachment)to specifically investigate the potential mechanism that affected the development of loneliness among adolescents of different genders.To provide scientific theoretical support for the prevention and alleviation of adolescent loneliness,and also provide effective practical guidance for gendered family education.In this study,1214 Chinese adolescents were followed for a total of three surveys conducted for one year,six months apart,using the longitudinal study design.The loneliness questionnaire,the parent-child conflict tactics scales,the core self-evaluation scale,and the peer attachment questionnaire were used to measure loneliness,childhood harsh parental discipline(psychological aggression and corporal punishment),core self-assessment,and peer attachment,respectively.Three series of studies were conducted to systematically investigate the impact and effect mechanism of childhood harsh parental discipline on loneliness among adolescents.Study 1 examined trends in loneliness among adolescents.Study 2 further investigated the direct effect of childhood parental psychological aggression and physical punishment on the trajectory of loneliness among adolescents and the difference that childhood parental psychological aggression and physical punishment affected the trajectory of loneliness among adolescents of different genders.Study 3 established the effect mechanism of childhood parental psychological aggression and physical punishment to indirectly affect the trajectory of loneliness among adolescents of different genders through core self-evaluation and peer attachment.The main findings of the current study were as follows:(1)Loneliness among adolescents presented an increasing trend.(2)Both childhood parental psychological aggression and corporal punishment positively predicted the initial level of adolescents’ loneliness,while childhood parental corporal punishment negatively predicted the changing slope of adolescents’ loneliness.(3)Both childhood parental psychological aggression and corporal punishment positively predicted the initial level of loneliness among both male and female adolescents.Childhood parental psychological aggression negatively predicted the changing slope of loneliness among female adolescents,and childhood parental corporal punishment negatively predicted the changing slope of loneliness among male adolescents.(4)Childhood parental psychological aggression and physical punishment indirectly affected the trajectory of loneliness among adolescents of different genders through core self-evaluation and peer attachment,which were shown as follows: On the one hand,childhood parental psychological aggression indirectly affected the initial level of loneliness among both male and female adolescents through core self-evaluation and peer attachment and indirectly affected the changing slope of loneliness among male adolescents through core self-evaluation.On the other hand,childhood parental corporal punishment directly affected the trajectory of loneliness among male adolescents and indirectly affected the initial level of loneliness among female adolescents through peer attachment.This study not only provided evidence from Chinese culture for the theoretical research on the impact of childhood harsh parental discipline on adolescent loneliness and its effect mechanism but also provided a new idea for effective prevention and intervention of adolescent loneliness.Firstly,adolescents are in a special stage of development,and the problem of loneliness is more serious.Parents and teachers should attach great importance to loneliness among adolescents.Secondly,childhood parental psychological aggression and physical punishment are early risk factors for loneliness among adolescents.All sectors of society should guide parents to correctly understand the harm of harsh discipline,and help parents improve and adjust harsh discipline strategies in time.Thirdly,we should carry out timely intervention for male and female adolescents who frequently suffered physical punishment and psychological aggression respectively by their parents in childhood,to minimize the negative impact of childhood harsh parental discipline on the development of loneliness among adolescents.Finally,gender-based prevention and intervention of loneliness in adolescents is very necessary.On the one hand,male adolescents who frequently suffer psychological aggression from their parents during childhood could alleviate their loneliness by adjusting their core self-evaluation and peer attachment appropriately.On the other hand,female adolescents who experienced frequent physical punishment from their parents during childhood may be able to prevent or alleviate feelings of loneliness by helping them form good peer attachments.