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Shaping the Vulnerable Self: Parent-Child Attachment, Neuroticism, and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Emerging Adults

Du, Zheng LU (2026) SIMZ51 20261
Master of Science in Social Scientific Data Analysis
Abstract
Mental health challenges among Chinese emerging adults have become an increasingly important public concern, yet the interplay between family relational environments and dispositional vulnerability remains insufficiently examined. Drawing on attachment theory, this study examines the direct and indirect relationships between perceived parent–child attachment quality, trait neuroticism, and depressive symptoms among Chinese emerging adults (aged 18–30). This study utilizes data from the 2018 wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to evaluate a nationally representative sample of 4,102 respondents. These variables were captured using adapted versions of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), CES-D 8, and Big Five... (More)
Mental health challenges among Chinese emerging adults have become an increasingly important public concern, yet the interplay between family relational environments and dispositional vulnerability remains insufficiently examined. Drawing on attachment theory, this study examines the direct and indirect relationships between perceived parent–child attachment quality, trait neuroticism, and depressive symptoms among Chinese emerging adults (aged 18–30). This study utilizes data from the 2018 wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to evaluate a nationally representative sample of 4,102 respondents. These variables were captured using adapted versions of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), CES-D 8, and Big Five Personality scale, with the model analyzed via structural equation modelling (SEM). The results showed that both attachment quality (β = −.11, p < .001) and neuroticism (β = .28, p < .001) independently predicted depressive symptoms, whereas the hypothesized mediation pathway was non-significant (95% CI [−.019, .071]). These findings indicate that parent-child attachment quality and neuroticism associate in parallel rather than sequentially with depressive symptoms. This suggests that neuroticism stabilizes as an internalized trait by emerging adulthood, while perceived attachment functions as a distinct external protective resource. These findings imply that mitigating depressive symptoms among Chinese emerging adults may require differentiated strategies: targeting neuroticism through cognitive-level interventions while simultaneously leveraging the modifiable protective potential of parent-child attachment quality. (Less)
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author
Du, Zheng LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ51 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
parent-child attachment quality, neuroticism, depressive symptoms, emerging adulthood, China, CFPS
language
English
id
9241774
date added to LUP
2026-06-25 11:15:01
date last changed
2026-06-25 11:15:01
@misc{9241774,
  abstract     = {{Mental health challenges among Chinese emerging adults have become an increasingly important public concern, yet the interplay between family relational environments and dispositional vulnerability remains insufficiently examined. Drawing on attachment theory, this study examines the direct and indirect relationships between perceived parent–child attachment quality, trait neuroticism, and depressive symptoms among Chinese emerging adults (aged 18–30). This study utilizes data from the 2018 wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to evaluate a nationally representative sample of 4,102 respondents. These variables were captured using adapted versions of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), CES-D 8, and Big Five Personality scale, with the model analyzed via structural equation modelling (SEM). The results showed that both attachment quality (β = −.11, p < .001) and neuroticism (β = .28, p < .001) independently predicted depressive symptoms, whereas the hypothesized mediation pathway was non-significant (95% CI [−.019, .071]). These findings indicate that parent-child attachment quality and neuroticism associate in parallel rather than sequentially with depressive symptoms. This suggests that neuroticism stabilizes as an internalized trait by emerging adulthood, while perceived attachment functions as a distinct external protective resource. These findings imply that mitigating depressive symptoms among Chinese emerging adults may require differentiated strategies: targeting neuroticism through cognitive-level interventions while simultaneously leveraging the modifiable protective potential of parent-child attachment quality.}},
  author       = {{Du, Zheng}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Shaping the Vulnerable Self: Parent-Child Attachment, Neuroticism, and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Emerging Adults}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}