The Influence of Father’s presence on College Students' Mental Health: The Role of Religiosity as a Mediator and Moderator
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23917/indigenous.v11i2.16050Keywords:
Father’s presence, religiosity, mental health, mediation, moderationAbstract
This study aims to examine the effect of Father’s presence on college students' mental health by considering the role of religiosity as a mediating and moderating variable. Increased mental health problems in college students are often associated with academic pressure, emotional instability, and weakened family support, especially from father figures. Religiosity is viewed as a protective factor that can strengthen students' psychological resilience. A total of 330 college students aged 18–24 (M = 20, SD = 1,207) participated in this study through accidental sampling. The instruments used included the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC–SF), the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS), and the Father’s presence Questionnaire (FPQ). Researchers used regression analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the mediating and moderating roles using Jamovi software. The results showed that Father’s presence and religiosity significantly improved college students' mental health (R = 0.922; R² = 85%; p < .001). In the mediation model, Father’s presence increased religiosity (β = 0.53; p < .001) and directly improved mental health (β = 0.80; p < .001). Religiosity also positively contributed to mental health (β = 0.20; p < .001) and partially mediated the relationship (indi-rect effect β = 0.10; p < .001). Moderation analysis showed that religiosity strengthened the effect of Father’s presence on mental health (β interaction = 0.00136; p = 0.027). The strongest effect of Father’s presence was seen in students with high levels of religiosity (β = 0.418). These findings confirm that Father’s presence and religiosity are important factors for student mental health.
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