AUTHOR=Qiu Peiyu , Wang Huan , Wang Huarong , Miao Lvqing , Song Jian 

TITLE=The relationship between college students’ self-identity and future orientation: a moderated chain-mediating model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1461159

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1461159

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=IntroductionThe self-awareness of college students will have an impact on their future development, especially their mental health and employment. This study explored the relationship between self-identity and future orientation with self-continuity as a chain-mediating variable, as well as the moderating role of parenting style in the direct and indirect effects of self-identity on future orientation among college students.MethodsData were collected from 563 college students from universities aged 18–23 years (M = 20.75, SD = 1.42). A self-identity scale, self-continuity questionnaire, and scale of consideration of future consequences were used to evaluate self-identity, past self-continuity, future self-continuity, and future orientation, respectively. Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS was utilized to test relationships among the variables.ResultsPast self-continuity and future self-continuity had an independent-mediating and chain-mediating effect on the relationship between self-identity and future orientation, respectively. Parenting style had a moderating effect in the chain-mediation model. Specifically, among those reporting democratic parenting, self-identity is a stronger positive predictor of past self-continuity, and among those reporting non-democratic parenting, past self-continuity was a stronger negative predictor of future orientation.ConclusionSelf-continuity is a critical mediating mechanism through which self-identity is associated with future orientation among college students, and self-reported parenting style serves as a moderating variable in the indirect influence of self-identity on future orientation. These findings underscore the importance of considering both individual and environmental factors in shaping the future trajectories of college students.