Parent-to-child intergenerational influence of perceived alienation towards parents: mediation of children’s life-events, and moderation of children’s gender and left-behind status

The findings are among the first to reveal the prediction of parents' perceived alienation on children's alienation, with stronger effect from the same-gender parent. The intergenerational transmission of perceived alienation is mediated by children's life-events and moderated by children's gender and left-behind status. To interrupt the transmission of perceived alienation between generations, more attention should be paid to parents' perceived alienation first, while children's status (e.g., life-events and left-behind status) should also be considered to develop psychological interventions in schools and families.