Family rituals and the quality of adolescents’ friendships: the serial mediating role of perceived parental support and the meaning in life

Adolescence is a critical period for individual’s social and emotional development, and family rituals can significantly enhance the friendship quality among adolescents. Despite this, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study investigated the relationship between family rituals, perceived parental support, meaning in life, and friendship quality from the perspective of the transformational model of adolescent development. A sample of 857 high school students completed measures on family rituals, perceived parental support, meaning in life, and friendship quality. Maximum likelihood structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the model and analyze the data. The findings indicate that family rituals are positively correlated with perceived parental support and friendship quality. Furthermore, the influence of family rituals on friendship quality is mediated by perceived parental support and meaning in life. These results offer valuable insights into how family rituals impact adolescents’ social relationships. Limitation, significance, and future research direction were also discussed.