The interlinked trajectories of interpersonal attachment and maladaptive behaviors among Chinese adolescents—a latent growth modeling approach

TL;DR

This study tracks how Chinese adolescents' relationships with parents and peers, along with harmful behaviors like depression and internet overuse, changed from 2021 to 2023.

Contribution

The study reveals longitudinal patterns and correlations between declining parent-child attachment and rising maladaptive behaviors during a period of global instability.

Findings

All three types of attachment (parental and peer) declined over time, with parental attachment showing steeper declines.

Maladaptive behaviors increased, with problematic internet use and social anxiety rising faster than others.

Declines in attachment were strongly linked to increases in maladaptive behaviors, especially for parent-child relationships.

Abstract

In the recent years, global and regional adversities (e.g., strict COVID-19 restrictions, prolonged social isolation, rising academic stress, and increasing digital dependence) have placed youth at heightened risk for ongoing interpersonal, behavioral, and mental health challenges. Examining the relevant trends during this period could yield insight into the persistence of these difficulties and inform targeted intervention strategies. Guided by the theoretical models including developmental system theories and developmental cascade model, the present study focused on three forms of attachment (i.e., child-father attachment, child-mother attachment, and peer attachment) and four types of maladaptive behaviors (i.e., depression, social anxiety, problematic internet use, and academic procrastination) among Chinese adolescents. It aims to uncover their trajectories spanning 2021 to 2023 and the correlations between the trajectories.

The research draws on data collected at three-time points (i.e., November 2021, May 2022, and May 2023), with a sample of 701 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.0 years, SD = 1.44, Range = 13–17 years; 52% girls). A latent growth modeling approach was employed. Specifically, latent growth curve modeling was conducted to estimate the trajectories of the seven key constructs, with Wald tests assessing differences in growth factors across constructs. Slope correlations between attachment and maladaptive behaviors were examined, and Fisher’s z-transformation was applied to compare the strength of these slope-level associations.

(1) All three types of attachment showed declining trajectories, with their slopes positively correlated. (2) Child-father and child-mother attachment declined more steeply than peer attachment. (3) All four maladaptive behaviors demonstrated increasing trends, with their slopes positively correlated. (4) Problematic internet use increased more rapidly than depression and academic procrastination, and social anxiety rose faster than academic procrastination. (5) The slopes of all three types of attachment were negatively correlated with the slopes of all four types of maladaptive behaviors. Notably, child-father and child-mother attachment demonstrated stronger associations with maladjustment trajectories than peer attachment.

In addition to providing longitudinal evidence that adolescents’ interpersonal relationships and maladjustment have been worsening during a time of instability, the study highlights the pivotal role of parent-child relationships and the dynamic interplay between the trajectories of adolescents’ social relationships and behavioral problems. Interventions may need to leverage these trajectory-related characteristics to better enhance adolescents’ psychosocial functioning.