The Impact of Parental Marital Quality on College Students’ Perspectives on Love and Marriage: The Mediational Role of Subjective Well-being

Abstract

In the current era of societal change, marriage values are increasingly varied. The family, as a biopsychosocial entity crucial for individual development, significantly influences the mental health and the formation of marriage and love ideologies among college students. The potential impact of parental marital relationships is particularly noteworthy. Understanding how parental marital quality shapes their children’s views on marriage and love, and investigating the mediating role of subjective well-being, a core psychological factor, hold substantial theoretical and practical implications for mental health education and relationship guidance in higher education settings. This study aims to explore the influence of parental marital quality on college students’ concepts of marriage and love, and to confirm the partially mediating role of subjective well-being. Additionally, the study examines the associations between gender, academic year, and college students’ perspectives on marriage and love. The survey utilized the Parental Marital Relationship Scale developed by Taiwanese researcher Cai Hengcui in 2003, the Marriage and Family Values Scale from the Korean Women’s Policy Institute, and the Subjective Well-being Scale by Diener et al. A total of 219 college students primarily from Guangdong Province participated in the study, providing data on parental marital quality, subjective well-being, and their views on marriage and love. The findings indicate that parental marital quality not only has a direct negative influence on college students’ perceptions of marriage and love but also indirectly shapes these views through subjective well-being, demonstrating a partial mediating effect.