The Effect of Parental Conflict on Loneliness in Middle School Students: the Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

Loneliness is a subjective emotional experience of being alone, isolated, lost, alienated and unhappy that occurs when an individual is dissatisfied with their social relationship network. It is a negative and pervasive psychological state. This study employed the Perceived Parental Conflict Scale, the Self-esteem Scale, and the Loneliness Scale to investigate the relationship among parental conflict, self-esteem, and loneliness among 370 students from the first to the third year of junior high school. It was found that parental conflict was significantly positively correlated with loneliness, significantly negatively correlated with self-esteem, and self-esteem was significantly negatively correlated with loneliness. Moreover, self-esteem played a partial mediating role between parental conflict and loneliness.The research results provide empirical references for mental health educators to improve the negative mood of teenagers and enhance their mental health level.