Perceived Emotional Neglect, Peer Support, and Psychological Distress in Female Students

Female students in Pakistan face intense academic, relational, and socio-cultural pressures that heighten their vulnerability to psychological distress. The present study examined the relationships among perceived emotional neglect, peer support, and psychological distress, and tested the moderating role of peer support in the emotional neglect–psychological distress relationship. Group differences across residential areas were also examined. Grounded in Attachment Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and the Stress-Buffering Hypothesis, the study proposed that peer support functions as a protective relational resource that buffers the harmful effects of early emotional deprivation. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with 300 female university students enrolled in bachelor's and master's programs at multiple public and private universities in Faisalabad, Pakistan, using non-probability convenience sampling. Perceived emotional neglect was measured using the emotional neglect subscale of the Multidimensional Neglectful Behavior Scale (Finkelhor et al., 2009), peer support was assessed using the Peer Support Scale (Mostafaei Alaei & Hosseinnezhad, 2020), and psychological distress was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, K-10 (Kessler et al., 2002).