Relational Foundations of Mental Health: Exploring the Influence of Parents, Peers, and Teachers on Chinese Boarding School Students across Developmental Stages

This study investigated how the quality of parent, peer, and teacher relationships predicts mental health difficulties—including emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems—among students in Chinese boarding schools. Using a cross-sectional design and hierarchical multiple regression analysis, data were collected from 992 students across grades 4, 7, and 10. Relationship quality was assessed via validated subdimensions of trust, communication, and alienation. The results showed that relational alienation, conceptualized as emotional disconnection and perceived rejection, emerged as the most robust and consistent predictor of psychological difficulties across all relationship domains. This pattern held across developmental stages, challenging the assumption that early adolescence is uniquely vulnerable. Gender moderation analyses revealed that boys were particularly sensitive to teacher trust, whereas girls responded more strongly to teacher communication, reflecting culturally situated relational dynamics. These findings underscore the need for continuous, culturally sensitive, and gender-responsive strategies to strengthen relational support and reduce psychological difficulties in residential school settings.