Attachment orientations, filial piety and future parent support provision among Mainland Chinese college students

Abstract

The literature has documented the close associations of attachment orientations and filial obligations with parent support provision and caregiving in Western samples. Nevertheless, little is known about the way these factors jointly determine adult children’s support provision or caregiving, especially in Chinese societies. This cross-sectional study examined the way attachment orientations and filial piety would be associated with the willingness of providing different forms of support (emotional and informational, tangible, affectionate, financial support, and positive interaction) to aging parents in future among Chinese college students. Results showed that attachment avoidance was negatively associated with the willingness to provide all forms of support, and such associations were mediated by reciprocal filial piety. Attachment anxiety had a negative direct effect on the willingness to provide financial support and showed a positive indirect effect on the willingness to have positive interaction through the mediation of authoritarian filial piety. The findings highlight the salient role of attachment avoidance in dampening adult children’s willingness to provide support to aging parents in future, due to a lower level of reciprocal filial piety.