High Qualities of Relationships with Parents and Teachers Contribute to the Development of Adolescent Life Satisfaction Through Resilience: A Three-Wave Prospective Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Life satisfaction (LS) is a core dimension of subjective well-being and is linked to many life outcomes in adolescents. Among other indicators of optimal functioning in youth, LS has been understudied; not until the last decade did research on adolescent LS show a resurgence. Parent–child attachment relationships are considered a vital factor contributing to adolescent LS. However, extant studies are predominantly cross-sectional, and few studies have examined its underlying mechanisms. This study is designed to bridge those gaps. Drawing on ecological system theories, it examines the association between parent–child attachment relationships and adolescent LS. It also investigates resilience as a mediator and teacher-student relationships (TSR) as a moderator using a three-wave longitudinal design, with a 6-month interval between each wave. Participants were 815 Chinese adolescents (53.9% boys, Mage = 11.53 years) and one of their parents (65.28% mothers). Adolescents reported on TSR at T1, resilience at T2, and LS at T1 and T3, whereas their parents reported on parent–child attachment relationships at T1. Overall, results of the moderated mediation model indicate that after controlling for T1 LS and covariates, T1 parent–child attachment relationships predicted T3 LS via T2 resilience only for adolescents with a high-quality TSR but not for those with a low or medium quality of TSR. This research contributes to the literature on the synergistic interplay between interpersonal and intrapersonal resources in predicting resilience and LS in adolescents. The findings have implications for well-being interventions for adolescents with diverse qualities of connections with teachers.