# The association between maternal overprotection and idol worship among college students: the chain mediating role of reactive anger and cybervictimization

## TL;DR

This study explores how maternal overprotection influences college students' idol worship through reactive anger and cyberbullying.

## Contribution

It identifies a chain mediation pathway involving reactive anger and cybervictimization between maternal overprotection and idol worship.

## Key findings

- Maternal overprotection significantly predicts idol worship among college students.
- Cybervictimization independently mediates the relationship between maternal overprotection and idol worship.
- Reactive anger and cybervictimization together mediate the link between maternal overprotection and idol worship.

## Abstract

As a unique socio-cultural phenomenon, idol worship plays a significant role in the development of college students' ideological and moral values. This study aims to investigate the influence of maternal overprotection on idol worship and examine the mediating roles of reactive anger and cybervictimization.

A total of 847 Chinese college students (23.50% were male; Mage = 19.57, SDage = 1.25) were investigated in this cross-sectional survey from 7 to 12 January in 2024 by S-EMBU-C questionnaire, celebrity attitude scale (CAS-R), trait anger scale (TAS), and cybervictimization questionnaire, testing the chain mediating effects of reactive anger, and cybervictimization.

(1) Maternal overprotection significantly positively predicted idol worship; (2) Cybervictimization played an independent mediator role in the links between maternal overprotection and idol worship; (3) Reactive anger and cybervictimization played a chain mediating role between maternal overprotection and idol worship. These findings highlighted the association between maternal overprotection and idol worship among college students, highlighting the need for integrated interventions targeting parenting styles, and online safety.