Parenting style effects on the mental health of college students: Their mediation by proactive personality and self-identity

Abstract

We examined the mediating role of proactive personality and self-identity on the relationship between mental health and parenting style among college students. Participants were 406 Chinese college students (female = 61.80%, mean age = 19.56 years, SD = 1.38 years). The students completed the following measures: Short-Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran, Proactive Personality Scale, Self-identity Status Scale, and General Health Questionnaire. Path analyses results show proactive personality to lower the risk for mental health with parental rejection, and to enhance mental health with parental warmth. A high sense of self-identity predicted good mental health among the college students, although the effect was greater for proactive personality. Moreover, proactive personality and self-identity had a significant mediating effect, enhancing mental health. Improving the mental health of college students may depend on their personality assets and the quality of parenting style they experienced.