Author(s)

Qingxia Liu ¹, Elna Lopez ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Lyceum of the Philippines University, Capitol Site, Kumintang Ibaba, Batangas, Philippines

Corresponding Author

Elna Lopez

ABSTRACT

This study mainly explored the relationship existing among parenting style, alexithymia, and fear of intimacy and the mediating role of alexithymia. Chinese Version of the Simplified Parenting Style Questionnaire (S-EMBU-C), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS) was conducted on 686 college students. (1) Results showed that the number of contemporary college students who perceived the emotional warmth of their parents' upbringing was above the medium level. College students' alexithymia scores were below the average level. College students scored above the average level of fear of intimacy. There was significant correlation between parenting style, Alexithymia and fear of intimacy. (2) Parental rejection and overprotection positively predicted intimacy fear of college students; Affective warmth of parents negatively predicted fear of intimacy. (3) Alexithymia played a mediating role between paternity rejection factor (p-value0.016), maternal overprotection factor (p-value 0.005) and intimacy fear in college students. The influence of father's rejection and mother's over-protective parenting style on college students' fear of intimacy can also be realized through the mediating role of alexithymia. This finding has important implications for the effective intervention of intimate fear in college students.

KEYWORDS

Father's Parenting Style, Mother's Parenting Style, Alexithymia, Fear of Intimacy

CITE THIS PAPER

Qingxia Liu, Elna Lopez, Research on Parenting Style, Alexithymia and Fear of Intimacy among College Students. Applied & Educational Psychology (2024) Vol. 5: 92-100. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2024.050113.

REFERENCES

[1] Ping Jie. (2019). The relationship between parenting style, Alexithymia, self-esteem and fear of intimacy among college students. Unpublished master's thesis, Harbin Normal University, Harbin.
[2] Meng Leijie. (2021). The impact of parental conflict on college students' social anxiety: the mediating role of fear of intimacy and the moderating role of interpersonal trust. Unpublished master's thesis, Shenyang Normal University, Shen Yang.
[3] Ma Xiaoxia. (2019). The effect of adult attachment on fear of intimacy: the chain mediating role of negative perfectionism and sexual anxiety. Unpublished master's thesis, Southwest University, Chong Qing.
[4] Bai Yanle. (2020).The relationship between adolescent bipolar disorder and parenting style. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology, 28(10), 1441-1444.
[5] Zhou Jing. (2021). A review of research on preschool children's noon sleep and its parenting practice. Journal of Ningbo Institute of Education, 23 (5), 7-13.
[6] Bai Lu. (2017). The relationship between Alexithymia and fear of intimacy in college students-the mediating role of trait emotion. Unpublished master's thesis, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing.
[7] Perris, C., Jacobsson, L., Lindstrom, H., von Knorring, L., Perris, H. (1980). Development of a new inventory for assessing memories of parental rearing behavior. Acta Psychiatria Scandinavica, 61(4), 265-274.
[8] Jiang Jiang, et al. (2010). Preliminary revision of the Chinese version of the Simplified Parenting Style Questionnaire. Psychological Development and Education, 26 (1), 94-99.
[9] Haviland Mark, G. (1996). Structure of the Twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Journal of personality Assessment, 66(1), 116-125.
[10] Li Kana. (2013). Rasch analysis and revision of self-reported Emotional Intelligence Scale and Alexithymia Scale. Unpublished master's thesis, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua.
[11] Yi Qianwen. (2023). The relationship between parenting style, self-esteem, social self-efficacy and social anxiety of junior middle school students. Unpublished master's thesis, Hefei Normal University, Hefei.
[12] Wang Helin. (2021). The influence of parenting style on college students' mental health: the mediating role of understanding social support, self-esteem and having meaning in life. Unpublished master's thesis, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou.
[13] Zhang Yan. (2021). Study on the Effects of parenting style and Personality on life satisfaction of College students and gender Differences. Unpublished master's thesis, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu.
[14] Xu Mingqian. (2022). Relationship between parental rejection and intimate fear in college students: the mediating role of rejection sensitivity and the moderating role of core self-evaluation. Unpublished master's thesis, Henan University, Kaifeng.
[15] Ma Yanjie. (2018). A study on the relationship between intimate fear and mother's parenting style. Journal of Campus Life & Mental Healt, 16(6), 411-413.
[16] Melis Yavuz, H., & Selcuk, B. (2018). Predictors of obesity and overweight in preschoolers: The role of parenting styles and feeding practices. Appetite, 120, 491-499.
[17] Liu, X. (2020). Parenting styles and health risk behavior of left-behind children: The mediating effect of cognitive emotion regulation. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(3), 676-685.
[18] Burnett, A. J., Lamb, K. E., McCann, J., Worsley, A., & Lacy, K. E. (2020).Parenting styles and the dietary intake of pre-school children: A systematic review. Psychology & Health, 35(11), 1326-1345.
[19] Masud, H., Ahmad, M. S., Cho, K. W., & Fakhr, Z. (2019). Parenting styles and aggression among young adolescents: A systematic review of literature. Community Mental Health Journal, 55(6), 1015-1030.
[20] Johnsen, A., Bjørknes, R., Iversen, A. C., & Sandbæk, M. (2018). School Competence among Adolescents in Low-Income Families: Does Parenting Style Matter? Journal of Child & Family Studies, 27(7), 2285-2294.
[21] Wen Hui, Ma Hui & Zhang Chunyang. (2021). The relationship between college students' parental rearing style and mental health: the mediating role of security. Chinese Health Statistics (02), 226-228.
[22] Zhang Jianren, Meng Fanfei, Ling Hui, Gong Wenting & Li Jiaxin. (2021). The relationship between childhood abuse, parenting style, insecure attachment and antisocial personality disorder in college students. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology (01), 28-32.
[23] Tian L C, Yuan Q. (2019). The relationship between high school students' parenting style, tenacious personality and learning engagement: based on an empirical study of three high schools in Gansu Province. Educational Science Research (06), 33-40.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology
  
  
• Curriculum and Teaching Methodology
  
  
• Transactions on Comparative Education
  
  
• Advances in Vocational and Technical Education
  
  
• Adult and Higher Education