The Mediating Effect of the satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs on the Relationship between Undergraduate Students‘ Parental Attachment and College Life Adjustment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of the satisfaction of basic psychological needs on the relationship between college students’ parental attachment and college life adjustment. Participants comprised 235 college students enrolled in five universities located in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas. To assess the mediating effects, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were performed using SPSS 25.0. The results were as follows: first, significant positive correlations were observed between parental attachment, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and college life adjustment; second, satisfaction of basic psychological needs partially mediated the relationship between parental attachment and college life adjustment. This indicates that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs – such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness – is extremely important in enabling college students to adjust to college life.