The dynamic mechanisms of parental alienation and social adaptation in Chinese college students: the longitudinal mediating role of self-differentiation

This longitudinal study explores the associations among parental alienation, self-differentiation, and social adaptation in a sample of Chinese college students, with particular attention to the potential mediating role of psychological differentiation. Using a three-wave panel design with 6-month intervals, 605 undergraduates from a Beijing university completed validated measures: the Baker Strategy Questionnaire, Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised, and the Chinese College Student Adaptation Inventory. (1) Parental alienating behaviours were significantly negatively associated with self-differentiation and social adaptation; (2) self-differentiation was positively associated with social adaptation; (3) self-differentiation was found to statistically mediate the association between parental alienation and social adaptation. The findings suggest that exposure to parental alienating behaviours may be linked to lower self-differentiation and poorer social adaptation over time. These results contribute to a growing body of literature on the psychological and social correlates of parental alienation and may inform future intervention development.