Longitudinal Relations Between Father Hunger and Adolescent Hyper-Competitiveness: Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction as a Mediator and Mother-Child Attachment as a Moderator

Purpose: While previous studies have investigated the adverse effects of hyper-competitiveness on individual development, research addressing its underlying causes from a family systems perspective remains relatively scarce. This study provides a comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of how the father hunger impacts adolescent hyper-competitiveness, thoroughly investigating the roles of basic psychological needs satisfaction and mother-child attachment within the broad context of family dynamics.

Methods: We employ Father Presence Theory, Attachment Theory and Basic Psychological Needs Theory as our theoretical frameworks. Data were gathered from 417 high school students in Central China at two time points (December 15, 2023, and May 15, 2024). Descriptive statistics and tests of the moderated mediation model were performed using SPSS 23.0.

Results: Our results reveal that increased levels of father hunger are associated with greater adolescent hyper-competitiveness. Basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) functions as a significant mediator, with higher levels of satisfaction correlating with lower hyper-competitiveness. Additionally, mother-child attachment serves as a significant moderator in both the first and second halves of the model, indicating its protective role in mitigating the adverse effects of elevated father hunger on BPNS. Furthermore, mother-child attachment can buffer the negative impact of unmet psychological needs on adolescent hyper-competitiveness.

Conclusion: The present study reveals that father hunger leads to adolescent hyper-competitiveness through the basic psychological needs satisfaction whilst mother-child attachment moderates the indirect effects of father hunger on hyper-competitiveness. The findings enhance our theoretical understanding of the interplay between father hunger and adolescent hyper-competitiveness and provides a foundational basis for future research aimed at improving father-child relationships and developing targeted interventions for managing adolescent hyper-competitiveness.