How parental autonomy support fosters adolescent future orientation: the mediating roles of growth mindset and hope, moderated by peer relationships

Grounded in positive youth development (PYD) perspective and the developmental assets framework (DAF), this study examined a moderated chain mediation model to investigate how perceived parental autonomy support (PAS) was associated with adolescent future orientation (AFO) through the sequential mediators of growth mindset and hope, and how peer relationships moderated these pathways. Data were collected from 604 middle school students in suburban Beijing using validated scales measuring PAS, AFO, growth mindset, hope, and peer relationships. The findings showed that: (1) PAS was significantly associated with more positive AFO. (2) Growth mindset and hope sequentially mediated the relationship between PAS and AFO, indicating that PAS was associated with a growth mindset, which in turn was linked to higher hope, ultimately correlating with a stronger future orientation. (3) Peer relationships moderated the initial link between PAS and growth mindset: the positive effect of PAS on growth mindset was stronger for adolescents reporting higher quality peer relationships. However, peer relationships did not moderate the association between PAS and hope. Conclusions: These findings suggest the mechanisms through which parental autonomy support facilitates adolescents’ future orientation, highlighting the crucial sequential roles of growth mindset and hope. The moderating effect of peer relationships explains the importance of the broader social context in shaping how parental autonomy support influences adolescents’ core beliefs about their abilities. This research contributes to understanding positive youth development and has implications for interventions aimed at fostering adolescents’ future planning and resilience.