Exploring the relationship between family support and eating behaviors among college students with subjective...

Family support is widely recognized as a critical social resource that significantly shapes individuals' mental health and lifestyle choices. However, the extent to which it indirectly influences eating behaviors through psychological mechanisms remains insufficiently understood. Although existing literature has highlighted the pivotal role of familial support in the formation of health-related behaviors, the underlying pathways through which this influence is exerted have not been systematically elucidated. The present study seeks to clarify the chain-mediating mechanism by which familial support affects university students' dietary habits via negative emotional states and subjective wellbeing. By doing so, this research aims to provide both theoretical insights and practical guidance for the development of psychological adjustment strategies and behavioral interventions.

A convenience sampling strategy was adopted to recruit 3,007 undergraduates in 2024 for a self-report survey, including 1,267 males and 1,740 females, with an average age of 19.03 years (SD = 1.176). The study applied a cross-sectional design and employed validated measurement tools, such as the Family support Scale, Anxiety Scale, Depression Scale, Subjective wellbeing Scale, and Healthy Eating Behaviors Scale. Correlational analyses were performed to assess the relationships among the core variables. Mediation effects were further examined using the PROCESS macro in SPSS to test the proposed pathways of the model.

Family support demonstrated a negative correlation with anxiety (r = -0.210) and depression (r = -0.211), while showing positive associations with subjective wellbeing (r = 0.250) and healthy eating behaviors (r = 0.168). Anxiety was inversely related to both subjective wellbeing (r = -0.378) and healthy eating (r = -0.206), whereas depression was also negatively linked to subjective wellbeing (r = -0.386) and healthy eating (r = -0.210). Additionally, subjective wellbeing exhibited a positive correlation with healthy eating (r = 0.185). Further analysis revealed a significant chain mediation effect of negative emotional states and subjective wellbeing in explaining the relationship between family support and healthy eating among university students. Furthermore, family support was significantly positively associated with eating behaviors (β = 0.610, p < 0.001), whereas anxiety (β = -0.344, p < 0.001), depression (β = -0.050, p < 0.001), and subjective wellbeing (β = 0.327, p < 0.001) were significantly negatively associated with eating behaviors. After the inclusion of mediating variables, this effect remained significant (β = 0.401, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, subjective wellbeing was significantly positively associated with eating behaviors (β = 0.185, p < 0.001). Finally, anxiety (β = -0.387, p < 0.001) and depression (β = -0.411, p < 0.001) were significantly negatively associated with subjective wellbeing, and both anxiety (β = -0.177, p < 0.001) and depression (β = -0.217, p < 0.001) showed negative associations with eating behaviors.

This study further elucidates the underlying mechanisms by which family support contributes to the enhancement of healthy eating behaviors among university students, specifically by identifying the indirect pathways mediated by negative emotional states. The findings demonstrate that anxiety and depression serve as significant mediators in the association between family support and eating behaviors. These results not only enrich the theoretical understanding of how social support influences health-related behaviors but also offer robust empirical evidence and strategic implications for universities aiming to integrate psychological wellbeing promotion with lifestyle interventions.