The impact of family intimacy on college students’ negative emotions—the chain mediating effect of social support and psychological resilience

Introduction Family intimacy—a core facet of family functioning—has been posited to protect college students from negative emotions, yet the mechanisms remain insufficiently specified. This study tested whether social support and psychological resilience independently and sequentially mediate the association between family intimacy and negative emotions. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered to college students across 33 provincial-level regions in China (3,589 questionnaires distributed; 3,010 valid; response rate = 83.87%; 37.9% male; age 19–29, M = 20.16, SD = 2.22). Measures included the Family Environment Scale—Chinese Version (family intimacy factor), DASS-21 (negative emotions), the Social Support dimension of the SRHMS, and the CD-RISC-10 (resilience). Internal consistency was acceptable ( α = 0.955, 0.955, 0.900, and 0.949, respectively). Common method bias was assessed using Harman’s single-factor test (first factor = 31.23%). Zero-order correlations were computed and a chained mediation model was estimated with the PROCESS macro (Model 6), controlling for age and gender. Results All key variables were correlated in the expected directions. Family intimacy negatively predicted negative emotions ( β = −0.051, t = −2.919, p < 0.01) and positively predicted social support ( β = 0.187, p < 0.001) and resilience ( β = 0.043, p < 0.05). Social support negatively predicted negative emotions ( β = −0.143, p < 0.001) and positively predicted resilience ( β = 0.399, p < 0.001); resilience negatively predicted negative emotions ( β = −0.269, p < 0.001). The total effect of family intimacy on negative emotions was −0.143 (95% CI [−0.190, −0.097]). The direct effect was −0.066 (95% CI [−0.111, −0.022]; 46.2% of the total). The total indirect effect was −0.077 (53.8%), comprising three significant pathways: via social support (−0.027, 95% CI [−0.037, −0.018]), via resilience (−0.012, 95% CI [−0.022, −0.002]), and the chain “family intimacy → social support → resilience → negative emotions” (−0.020, 95% CI [−0.026, −0.015]). Discussion Family intimacy is associated with fewer negative emotions among college students both directly and indirectly through enhanced social support and resilience. These findings underscore the value of family-focused and campus-based strategies that strengthen family communication and support systems to cultivate resilience and mitigate negative emotional states.