Are Fathers More Important? The Positive Association Between the Parent-Child Relationship and Left-Behind Adolescents' Subjective Vitality

The term "left-behind adolescent" refers to adolescents who remain in the household registration area to live with their one parent or temporary guardian because both or one of their parents have left town for work. Subjective vitality is a crucial indicator of healthy adolescent growth. However, few studies have been conducted on the factors associated with the left-behind adolescents' subjective vitality. This study investigated the level of subjective vitality of left-behind adolescents and explored the potential mechanisms between the parent-child relationship and subjective vitality. We collected a sample of 604 secondary school students from a rural region in southwest China (52.98% female; M-age = 13.76; SD = 0.88). We compared a mediation model among adolescents left behind by fathers (N = 200), mothers (N = 122), and both parents (N = 282). The results found that parent-child relationships were positively associated with subjective vitality. Basic psychological needs and meaning in life both mediated the relationship between the parent-child relationship and subjective vitality among left-behind adolescents. There was no significant difference in the role of the father-child relationship and the mother-child relationship. In addition, unlike previous research, we discovered no direct association between the mother-child relationship and subjective vitality when mothers were absent. And there was no significant direct relationship between the father-child relationship and subjective vitality when fathers were absent. Our findings add incremental insight into how parental absence affects left-behind adolescents' positive psychological development.