This study examines the influence of perceived parental psychological control in early adulthood on relationship addiction, and investigates the mediating effect of differentiation of self. The research questions were as follows: (1) Are there signifi...
This study examines the influence of perceived parental psychological control in early adulthood on relationship addiction, and investigates the mediating effect of differentiation of self. The research questions were as follows: (1) Are there significant correlations among relationship addiction, parental psychological control, and differentiation of self? (2) Does parental psychological control affect relationship addiction? (3) Does differentiation of self mediate the relationship between parental psychological control and relationship addiction?
To address these questions, an online self-report survey was conducted from September 19 to October 10, 2025, targeting individuals aged 19 to 28 across South Korea. A total of 350 questionnaires were collected, and after excluding 23 responses due to inappropriate age or insincere responses, 327 questionnaires were used for the final analysis. Using SPSS 27.0 and SPSS Macro Model 4, the data were analyzed through reliability testing, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, simple regression analysis, and bootstrapping.
The main findings are as follows. First, the correlations among relationship addiction, parental psychological control, and differentiation of self were generally significant, although some sub-factors did not show significance. More specifically, relationship addiction showed a significant positive correlation with parental psychological control and a significant negative correlation with differentiation of self. Parental psychological control also demonstrated a significant negative correlation with differentiation of self. Second, the mediating effect of differentiation of self on the relationship between parental psychological control and relationship addiction was verified. Differentiation of self was found to significantly mediate this relationship.
The significance of this study lies in highlighting the importance of considering not only clients’ current relational difficulties but also their experiences within their family of origin when counseling young adults who struggle with forming and maintaining relationships.