Parental Psychological Control and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders among Spanish Adolescents

Hybrid Feel-Own-Move®: protocol for an effectiveness-implementation study of a psychomotor intervention for survivors of domestic violence

Background

Domestic violence is a public health concern, impacting the health and well-being of women and children globally. Shelter homes are one of the support services for victims' recovery, although providing holistic healthcare in this setting remains a struggle. Feel-Own-Move® (FOM) is an evidence-based psychomotor intervention designed to help women who have experienced domestic violence reconnect with their bodies. Hybrid FOM (H-FOM) is a version of FOM that combines in-person with online sessions for both women and children living in shelter homes. To examine the effectiveness and implementation success of H-FOM are the aims of this study.

Methods

This protocol details an effectiveness-implementation type I hybrid study, to be carried out in shelter homes across three European countries. Health outcomes of the participants, and the implementation success within professionals from the shelter homes and the psychomotor therapists responsible for implementing H-FOM will be assessed. Results will be analyzed through a mixed methods approach, following the conceptual model of implementation science and the RE-AIM framework.

Discussion

This effectiveness-implementation study is expected to contribute to understanding H-FOM health-related effects on women and children survivors of violence, as well as to its sustainable implementation, up-scaling and integration into trauma support services and associated healthcare policy. H-FOM is expected to (i) improve the known effects of FOM on women survivors of DV, while ensuring continuity of the therapeutic process following relocation, and promoting the health and well-being of children living in the shelter homes.

Factors influencing parents' educational anxiety of primary and secondary school students: evidence from parents in China

BACKGROUND

Current research has focused on exploring the sources of parents' anxiety about children's education (PAE), and we continue in this direction by exploring the factors influencing parental educational anxiety in primary and secondary school students and the interactions among them.

METHODS

Parental Educational Anxiety Measurement Questionnaire was used to measure the level of PEA. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was used to examine the correlation between the level of PAE and the demographic variables. The method of multiple stepwise regression analysis was used to explore the demographic factors correlated with PAE. Two-way interactions in moderated multiple regression to examine the moderating effects of educational attainment on monthly household mortgage payments and PAE.

RESULTS

Our results indicate that there were statistical differences among education level, average monthly household income, child's stage of learning and monthly household mortgage payments; PEA were negatively correlated with education level and average monthly household income, and positively correlated with monthly cost of educational inputs. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that education level, average monthly household income, monthly household mortgage payment, and monthly cost of educational inputs were direct influences on PEA. Education level has a significant moderating effect on the monthly mortgage payment and PEA.

CONCLUSION

Education level, average monthly household income, monthly household mortgage payment, and monthly cost of educational inputs were direct influencing factor of PEA.

A Psychometric Examination of the Abbreviated Version of the Parenting Styles Scale Using a Sample of Chilean Adolescents

Parenting styles have been related to a series of variables that contribute positively to adulthood. The maternal and paternal parenting styles scale is a measure that presents a multidimensional structure of six correlated factors. However, the version available for Chile is extensive, with 82 items measuring this latent trait. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the reliability and validity of the abbreviated version of the maternal and paternal parenting styles scale using a sample of Chilean adolescents. The sample consisted of 2131 students of both the male and female sexes (51% males and 49% females) with a mean age of 15.85 years (SD = 1.37). The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the six-factor correlated model, showing robust psychometric indices for both modelling approaches. In relation to the factorial invariance models, the results show factorial equivalence at the scalar invariance level for the variables of sex, age, academic achievement, and type of school. The scale showed adequate levels of reliability. This study concludes that the abbreviated version of the maternal and paternal parenting styles scale is a reliable and valid instrument for its application in Chilean adolescents.

Parental Practices of Controlling and Supporting the Autonomy of Elementary School Children and Early Adolescents in Russia: A Qualitative Study

Background

Children's and adolescents' development of autonomy depends on the relationship with their parents and the parents' child-rearing practices. These might be aimed towards supporting or restricting autonomy, as well as its different aspects, such as independence or volitional functioning.

Objective

To compare the practices described by foreign researchers as being the most beneficial for supporting autonomy with those used on a daily basis by Russian parents of primary school children and early adolescents.

Design

We conducted 26 semi-structured interviews with 16 mothers and 10 fathers of primary school children (n = 10) and early adolescents (n = 16).

Results

The practices of autonomy support and control used by parents were mostly similar to those described in foreign literature. However, new features were found: Guidance, Explanation of Patterns, and "Area of Responsibility". The behavior of Russian parents can be described through practices specific to different situations. Qualitative research suggests the absence of a unified style of behavior in relation to children's independence. Two types of autonomy support practices were used: encouraging independence and support for volitional functioning. Encouraging children's volitional functioning was perceived by parents as something that guides their behavior, yet mention of this practice was much less explicit than mention of encouraging independence.

Conclusion

Further reflection is required on the observed situationality of practices - whether it should be assessed as chaotic, hindering autonomy, or flexible, promoting it.

The Role of Psychological Parental Control and Internalizing Problems in the Etiology of Vigorexia and Orthorexia in Adolescence

The present study aims to explore the forms of psychological parental control that are interconnected with dysfunctional emotional states (i.e., anxiety and depression), and how these internalizing problems may manifest as distorted behaviors (i.e., vigorexic and orthorexic behaviors) during adolescence. Participants included 403 Italian adolescent athletes (231 boys and 172 girls) aged 14 to 18 years. The participants completed self-report questionnaires designed to assess psychological parental control oriented towards dependence and achievement, anxiety and depression, and vigorexia and orthorexia. The results highlight how both forms of psychological parental control predict anxiety and depression. Furthermore, anxiety was found to be linked to both vigorexic and orthorexic behaviors, while depression is connected only to vigorexia. This study delves into the intricacies of parental influence on adolescents, revealing that both dependency-oriented and success-oriented psychological parental control have notable implications for the mental well-being of adolescents. The findings underscore the interconnectedness of these factors, demonstrating that anxiety can set off a chain reaction, leading to engagement in vigorexic and orthorexic behaviors. On the other hand, depression appears to be uniquely associated with vigorexia. These insights contribute to our understanding of the complex dynamics between parental control and adolescent mental health. The implications of this research extend to both theoretical frameworks and practical interventions, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach to supporting adolescents in navigating these challenges.

Parent-adolescent discrepancies in positive parenting and adolescent problem behaviors in Chinese families

Based on the discrepancy-maladaptive hypothesis and general strain theory, in this study, we examined two key aspects: first, the mediating role of self-control in the relationship between parent-adolescent discrepancies in positive parenting and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems, and second, variations in problem behavior among subgroups with different parent-adolescent dyads reporting patterns. The participants were 349 intact Chinese families, with parents as the primary caregivers and teenagers aged 15-18 years who are attending secondary vocational schools. The results revealed that adolescents generally perceived lower levels of caring and behavioral control than parents. Compared to behavioral control, discrepancies in perceived levels of caring had more significant predicting levels of internalizing and externalizing problems, and the relationship between discrepancies of caring and internalizing and externalizing problems was mediated by self-control. Latent profile analysis revealed three parent-adolescent responding patterns (subgroups); compared to the other subgroups, only the subgroup characterized by adolescents perceiving lower caring and behavioral control than parents exhibited higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. The findings of this study provide insights on how parent-adolescent discrepancies may lead to adolescent problem behaviors and highlight the importance of self-control as a mediating mechanism.

Confirmatory factor analysis and gender invariance of the Persian version of psychological control scale: association with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems

Introduction

The current cross-sectional study aimed to examine the reliability, construct validity, gender invariance and concurrent validity of the psychological control scale-youth self-report (PCS-YSR) among Iranian adolescents.

Methods

A total of 1,453 high school students (49.2% boys; Mage = 15.48, SD = 0.97), who aged between 14 and 18 years old completed the PCS-YSR and the youth self-report (YSR) scale of behavior problems.

Results

Reliability was established using Cronbach's alpha and ordinal alpha for maternal and paternal psychological control. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results supported the original unidimensional model of the PCS-YSR scale for both mother and father forms. Results also revealed that mother and father forms of PCS-YSR were invariant across adolescents' gender. When comparing the mean differences, mothers were more psychologically controlling toward their sons, compared to their daughters. The mother and father forms of PCS-YSR were found to have acceptable concurrent validity through their relationship to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems.

Discussion

Overall, our findings supported the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Psychological Control Scale-Youth Self-Report among Iranian adolescents. This scale can be used as an efficient tool for parental psychological control among adolescents in Iran. The negative effect of the intrusive parenting behavior on child' negative outcomes in Iran, irrespective of culture, was shown.

Rural-urban differences in prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation in adolescent patients with depression in a large sample of Chinese

BACKGROUND

Suicidal ideation (SI) is severe comorbidity of depression that has been extensively studied in the past. Residence differences between SI have rarely been systematically studied, especially in parental rearing behavior. This large-scale explored the residence differences in the prevalence and correlation of SI adolescent patients with depression.

METHODS

A total of 1417 patients with depression were recruited, and their demographic data and clinical data were collected. The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (EMBU) scale were used to assess depression, and parental rearing behavior, respectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of suicidal ideation was higher in urban patients than in rural patients (43.7 % vs.37.7 %, P < 0.05). Patients with SI scored higher on total CDI scores, parental punishment, parental rejection, and paternal overprotection compared to their respective patients without SI. In the urban group, patients with SI had lower parental emotional warmth scores and higher parental intervention scores compared to patients without SI. Logistic regression analysis showed that total CDI score, gender, alcohol consumption, father's emotional warmth, father's rejection, and mother's intervention were significantly associated with SI in urban patients (P < 0.05); total CDI score and mother's rejection were significantly associated with SI in rural patients (P < 0.05).

LIMITATIONS

No causal relationship could be drawn due to the cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study showed significant residential differences in risk and associated factors for SI among adolescents with depression. Focusing on the parenting styles of adolescent patients can help with the early identification and intervention of SI.

Controle Materno e Autocuidado de Crianças com Diabetes Tipo 1

Introdução: O autocuidado em crianças portadoras de doenças crônicas pode ser promovido ou prejudicado pelo comportamento parental. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar as relações entre as práticas maternas de controle (suporte apropriado vs. controle psicológico) e o autocuidado em crianças com diabetes mellitus tipo 1 (DM1). Método: Participaram 23 mães de crianças portadoras de DM1, que responderam a uma entrevista semiestruturada sobre práticas de controle materno e ao Questionário da Rotina Pediátrica do Diabetes, que avaliou o autocuidado das crianças. Resultados: o suporte apropriado da mãe, especialmente quando expresso em explicações, encorajamento e afeto positivo, foi um preditor efetivo do autocuidado infantil. Discussão: o suporte apropriado favorece a conquista de autonomia por parte da criança, que se torna progressivamente mais capaz de cuidar da própria saúde. Conclusões: programas de intervenção para crianças portadoras de DM1 e suas famílias devem promover práticas de suporte apropriado nos pais.

The Associations between Childhood Experiences and Occupational Choice Capability, and the Mediation of Societal Gender Roles

Experiences in family, school, and social life during childhood are associated with gender roles and occupational choice capability. This study examines how competent individuals are in occupational choice capability and the relationships of childhood experiences and gender roles with their competencies in occupational choice capability. The research is composed of 805 individuals aged 18 and older, who reside in Turkey. In the research, we used the Personal Information Form, Childhood Experiences Scale, Gender Roles Attitude Scale, and The Scale of Occupational Choice Capability. The SPSS 25 program and PROCESS-Macro were used to analyze the variables. The relationship between the scales was investigated using Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. According to the findings we obtained, individuals’ family and school life were positively correlated with their career choices, and family function sexism harmed their choice of profession. We also found gender roles had a mediating role in the relationship between school life and career choice.

A Protective Factor for Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children: The Parental Humor

In order to prevent the development of emotional and behavioral problems, risk and protective factors must be identified. This study aims to establish a link between perceived parental humor and children mental health. The sample comprises 762 pupils aged 10 to 15 (M = 12.23; SD = 1.12), who completed self-reports evaluating perceived parental humor (EEE-H) and their own emotional and behavioral strengths and difficulties (SDQ). The results indicate that parental humor is negatively associated with internalizing problems in children; no association with externalizing problems is observed. According to the study, girls who perceive low parental humor are the most likely to display internalizing problems, while girls perceiving high parental humor are the least likely to do so. Parental humor, characterized by calmness, cheerfulness, and optimism, is a protective factor against internalizing problems in children, especially girls. We recommend training for parents and training and intervention programs for families to encourage activities that boost parental humor.

Exploring the Effect of Parental Styles on Social Skills: The Mediating Role of Affects

Parental educational styles have a significant effect in personal development. These styles (authoritative, democratic, permissive and neglectful) can be related to affects and social skills at the individual level. The study presented here, which comprised 456 participants (151 men; 33.11%), with an average age of 22.01 years (s.d. = 2.80), aimed to analyse the relationship between parental styles, affects and social skills, as well as the role played by affects in the relationship between parental style and social skills. The results suggest that the constructs under study are closely related. The most common parental style is democratic. By gender, permissive styles were more often applied to women and authoritative styles to men. No significant gender differences were found in the application of democratic and neglectful parental styles. In terms of emotional support, women were found to have higher negative affect scores and men higher emotional support scores. People with parents that use democratic and permissive styles scored higher in all variables related to affects and social skills, which challenges the notion that democratic styles are the best parental styles in terms of socialisation of children. The results of the affect and social skills scales were analysed in relation to parenting styles, indicating that children educated under a democratic parental regime tend to yield higher scores in terms of social skills than children educated under any other form of parental regime and medium scores in terms of affects. Finally, it was found that parenting styles have a direct influence on social skills, which tend to improve when affects play a mediating role between these two constructs. These results suggest that parenting styles are closely related to affects and social skills. In addition, they also suggest that affects play a mediating role in the relationship between parenting styles and social skills. Finally, owing to the impact that parenting styles have on affects and social skills, more research is needed to address this issue.

Profiles and transition of mental health problems among Chinese adolescents: The predictive role of friendship quality, parental autonomy support, and psychological control

INTRODUCTION

Mental health problems have become a global crisis of the 21st century, with adolescence being a typical period of the outbreak of these problems. However, the profiles and transition of mental health problems in Chinese adolescents remain unclear. In addition, protective and risk factors that shape mental health problems require further clarification.

METHODS

We measured depression, anxiety, and stress as indicators to identify the profiles and transition patterns of mental health problems among Chinese adolescents, as well as environment-related predictors (i.e., friendship quality, parental psychological control, and autonomy support). A total of 722 participants (376 females; M_age  = 15.21, SD_age  = 0.74) completed a set of questionnaires at two time points with a 1-year interval (T1: November 2018; T2: November 2019).

RESULTS

The profile analysis revealed two groups: healthy and troubled. The development of mental health problems included four trajectories: steady low, steady high, increasing, and decreasing. Results indicated that parental autonomy support and friendship quality exerted protective and buffering effects, whereas parental psychological control acted as a risk factor for mental health problem profiles. Furthermore, friendship quality had a unique predictive effect on the decreasing trajectory.

CONCLUSIONS

The profiles of mental health problems showed high concurrency of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and developmental trajectories were largely stable over time. Friendship quality, parental autonomy support, and psychological control predicted the profiles of the mental health problems of Chinese adolescents, and only friendship quality predicted the transition from a troubled to healthy profile over 1 year.

An Exploratory Cohort Study of the Association between the Level of Testosterone and Suicidal Ideation in Hospitalized Adolescent Females with Depression in China

BACKGROUND

To date, around 4 per 100,000 adolescents committed suicide within the 29 OECD countries. The suicidal behavior is related to psychological factors, genetics, neurobiology, and other biomarkers. The aim of this study was to examine risk factors for the development of suicidal ideation in adolescent females with depression, focusing on the relationship between different testosterone levels and suicidal ideation, in order to help develop strategies to intervene in suicidal behavior in female adolescents with depression.

METHOD

In this single-center prospective cohort study, we enrolled adolescent females with depression. We collected information on their baseline data, testosterone levels, symptom self-rating scale scores, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injurious (NSSI) behaviours, and suicide attempts. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify risk factors for the development of suicidal ideation in adolescent females with depression.

RESULTS

A total of 113 hospitalized adolescent females were enrolled with a mean age of 13.5 (1.20). Among these patients, there were 86 (76.11%) subjects who suffered from suicidal ideation, 59 (52.21%) had NSSI and 23 (20.35%) had suicide attempt behavior. In the final model, higher level of testosterone (p=0.04) and higher age (p=0.02) were associated with the higher odds of having suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSION

In this exploratory cohort study, the emergence of suicidal ideation was common among adolescent females with depression. This study is consistent with the other studies. It shows that the age is a potential predictor for suicidal ideation in hospitalized adolescent females with depression.

Gender and Socioeconomic Status as Factors of Individual Differences in Pre-University Students' Decision-Making for Careers, with a Focus on Family Influence and Psychosocial Factors

The present study analyses the influence of family, specifically parents, on the career decisions of their children, and how gender and socioeconomic status influence this choice. Research was carried out using data obtained from a questionnaire administered to a representative sample of students who took the university entrance examination (PEvAU, its Spanish acronym) in Spanish North Africa. A quantitative research design was adopted in which multivariate analysis (MANOVA) was applied anda decision tree, which was also used for graphical and analytical analysis. The main results indicated a significant influence of parents on their children’s choices, this being the best predictor regarding the decision to take the said examination. It was also verified that their choice of Spanish Baccalaureate programme was significantly associated with their selected career path, and gender and socioeconomic status had a significant impact on that decision. These results lead to the need for further research on guidance from secondary education onwards. It would be interesting to analyse factors neglected thus far, such as those related to the cultural environment of students.

The Predictive Role of Affectivity, Self-Esteem and Social Support in Depression and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents

Background: This study analyzes the relationship between depression and anxiety levels and positive and negative affect, self-esteem, and perceived social support from family and friends in an early and middle adolescent sample. These are psychological variables that are often associated with the prediction of emotional disorders, especially depression. Methods: Participants (N = 467) were a representative sample of this group of adolescents and were recruited from schools in the city of Concepción, Chile. Part of the sample (N = 177) was assessed three additional times—at one-, two-, and four-month intervals. Results: Results showed a practical stability of all measures across the four intervals, with no significant differences between sexes. Anxiety and depression displayed a similar pattern of significant relationships with affectivity, self-esteem, and social support. Depression had a higher correlation coefficient (−0.47) with positive affect, and so did anxiety with negative affect (0.58). Conclusions: Taking into account 23 initial scores on affectivity, self-esteem, and social support in predicting both depression and anxiety scores at one-month, two-month, and four-month intervals, positive affect was present in three regression analyses, predicting depression scores; negative affect was present in anxiety scores. Results are discussed according to previous findings, as well as the tripartite model.

Parental Socialization, Social Anxiety, and School Victimization: A Mediation Model

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parenting dimensions (involvement/acceptance vs. strictness/imposition) and school victimization, considering the possible mediating role of social anxiety. The sample comprised 887 adolescents (52.3% girls) aged between 12 and 16 (M = 13.84 and SD = 1.22) enrolled at three compulsory secondary education ("ESO" or "Educación Secundaria Obligatoria" in Spanish) schools located in the provinces of Valencia, Teruel and Seville (Spain). A structural equations model was developed using the Mplus 7.4 program. The results obtained indicate that social anxiety mediates the relationship between parenting dimensions (involvement/acceptance vs. strictness/imposition) and school victimization. Finally, the results and their potential theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Prácticas parentales: un estudio comparado en adolescentes portugueses y españoles

El objetivo del presente trabajo es estudiar las diferencias en la percepción de los adolescentes sobre el afecto y la crítica que manifiestan los padres hacia sus hijos, y la forma en que establecen y exigen el cumplimiento de las normas, en función de la nacionalidad (portuguesa y española) y el género de los adolescentes. También analizamos la influencia del estilo parental sobre el afecto y la comunicación que perciben de sus padres. Participaron 1260 adolescentes (674 portugueses y 531 españoles) de entre 12 y 16 años (M = 13.98, DT = 1.3). Los datos se obtuvieron a través de autoinformes que evalúan la percepción del Afecto-Comunicación, la Crítica-Rechazo (EA-H) y las formas (Inductiva, Rígida e Indulgente) que tienen los padres de establecer y exigir el cumplimiento de las normas (ENE-H). Utilizando un diseño transversal, y mediante análisis multivariados, de medidas repetidas y de regresión, se confirma la existencia de diferencias interculturales e intraculturales en la percepción del Afecto-comunicación, critica-rechazo y el estilo parental, y que la forma Inductiva es un fuerte predictor del afecto y cariño de los progenitores españoles y portugueses.

Parenting Styles and Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescence: A Systematic Literature Review

A growing body of recent research has identified associations between various parenting practices and styles and internalizing problems among adolescents. However, the reported findings are inconsistent and the studies in question have been conducted from different theoretical backgrounds. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the literature on the association of parental socialization styles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. To this end, we conducted a systematic search of the PsycInfo, Scopus, Pubmed, and Web of Science databases, covering literature published from 2010 to 2019. The search was restricted to peer-reviewed studies in English or Spanish. The results show that parental warmth, behavioural control, and autonomy granting are inversely related to internalizing symptoms in adolescents. Conversely, psychological control and harsh control by parents are positively associated with adolescent anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Although the associated effect sizes are only small or moderate, the results suggest that these variables should be taken into account when designing programmes aimed at promoting parenting styles conducive to the wellbeing of adolescents.

Parental Socialization Styles: The Contribution of Paternal and Maternal Affect/Communication and Strictness to Family Socialization Style

The aim of this study is two-fold: (a) to determine the general degree of family affect/communication and strictness by examining the combination of the two classical dimensions of mother parenting style: affect/communication and strictness, and (b) to analyze the impact of both parents' affect and strictness on the family style, thereby exploring the specific contribution made by each parent's style and dimension. Participants were 1190 Spanish students, 47.1% boys and 52.3% girls (M = 14.68; SD = 1.76). The Affect Scale (EA-H) and the Rules and Demandingness Scale (ENE-H) (both by Fuentes, Motrico, and Bersabé, 1999) were used. Structural equation models (SEMs) were extracted using the EQS program. The results reveal that it is not the father's and the mother's parenting style combined, but rather the combination of maternal and paternal affect/communication, and maternal and paternal strictness which generates one perception of family affect and another of family strictness. The results also indicated that the weight of both dimensions varies in accordance with the parent's gender, with maternal dimensions playing a more important role in family socialization style.

The Role of Parental Acceptance⁻Rejection in Emotional Instability During Adolescence

The present study focuses on analyzing the relationship between the parental acceptance-rejection perceived by adolescents and emotional instability from the early stages of adolescence. Special attention will be paid to potential differences between mothers and fathers. A total of 1181 students, aged 11-17, took part in the study. We used the factor of emotional instability in the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ-NA) and an affect scale (EA-H) to measure parental acceptance-rejection. The analyses performed show a clear association between emotional instability with maternal/paternal criticism and rejection. Specifically, maternal criticism and rejection in early adolescence and paternal criticism and rejection in middle adolescence were associated with emotional instability, confirming the association between children's and adolescents' emotional adjustment and family dynamics. This study makes interesting contributions to understanding paternal and maternal rejection during the different stages of adolescence. These differences should be incorporated into the research on parental influence and its role in the development of personality among adolescents.