Family Relationships and Young Italian Adults' Well-Being: The Mediation Role of Mattering

The perception of mattering, worthiness, and being meaningful for others is a fundamental condition for the human being. During young adulthood, mattering is particularly significant for the identity consolidation and well-being. This study aims to investigate the effect of relationships with parents on multidimensional well-being of young adults, mediated by mattering. A total of 1249 young Italian adults (age range 18-35) were involved, filling an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that maternal support has a significant direct relationship just with interpersonal well-being, while paternal support with community well-being. Only through the mediation of mattering, both maternal and parental supports have a positive effect on all the well-being dimensions. The results suggest the importance of promoting a sense of mattering in significant interpersonal contexts for young adults to guarantee their well-being when they are involved in facing demanding challenges that the transition to adulthood requires.