Investigation of the mediating role of parental styles in the relationship between selfobject needs and peer relations

In this study, the mediating effect of perceived parenting styles on the effect of selfobject needs on peer relations among university students was investigated. The sample consists of 614 students studying at universities in Ankara in the 2020-2021 academic year. The participants were formed by choosing random sampling method. As data collection tools, Selfobject Needs Inventory (Yurduşen & Gençöz, 2018); Peer Relationship Scale (Kaner, 2000); Young Parenting Inventory (Soygüt et al., 2008); and Personal Information Form were used. The relationship between the variables was tested with the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, and the mediating effect of parental styles in the association between selfobject needs and peer relations was tested with the structural model. SPSS 22.0 and LISREL 8.80 packages were used in the data analysis. According to the results, there was a significant relationship between avoidance orientation from idealization/twinship and the subdimensions of approach orientation toward idealization, which are the subdimensions of selfobject needs, and parental styles. It was found that there was a partial mediation effect of perceived parenting styles in the effect of avoidance oreintation from idealization/twinship on the peer relationship and this effect is negative. On the other hand, it was determined that there was a partial mediation effect of perceived paternal parenting styles in the effect of approach orientation toward idealization on the peer relationship. Key Words: Selfobject Needs, Peer Relations, Parental Styles, Twinship Transference