AUTHOR=Wang Qiuying , Peng Siya , Chi Xinli 

TITLE=The Relationship Between Family Functioning and Internalizing Problems in Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644222

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644222

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Research has consistently found that poor family functioning is a risk factor in adolescents’ internalizing problems. However, studies of the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation are insufficient. In this study, we explore the association between family functioning and adolescents’ internalizing problems by testing the mediating role of positive youth development (PYD) attributes and the moderating role of migrant status. A large cross-sectional sample of 11,865 Chinese adolescents (M age = 14.45, SD = 1.55) is used to measure the internalization of problems, family functioning, positive youth development, migrant status, and other demographic information. After covariates (age, gender) were controlled, results revealed that positive youth development mediated the relation between family functioning and internalizing problems. Moreover, migrant status moderated the relationships between family functioning and internalizing problems. The present study indicated that family functioning may affect adolescent internalizing problems through positive youth development and migrant status may moderate the effect.