Assessment and correlates of aloneliness among Indonesian adolescents

Introduction

The goals of this study were to: (1) adapt and validate a measure of aloneliness (Solitude and Aloneliness Scale; SolAS) for use among Indonesian adolescents; (2) examine the associations between aloneliness and indices of well-being in this unique developmental and cultural context; and (3) explore possible grade and gender effects.

Methods

Participants were Indonesian adolescents aged 11-18 years (M = 14.13 years, SD = 1.62; 58.51% girls) who completed self-report assessments of the adapted SolAS (newly created Indonesian translation), as well as indices of adjustment (e.g., well-being, basic psychological need satisfaction).

Results

Among the results, the Indonesian version of the SolAS demonstrated good psychometric properties (e.g., factor structure, good internal reliability) and initial evidence of validity (e.g., significant negative correlations with measures of psychological well-being and basic psychological needs satisfaction). Girls reported higher levels of aloneliness than boys, but no significant grade differences emerged.

Conclusions

The SolAS evidenced good psychometric properties and evidence of validity in a sample of Indonesian adolescents, suggesting it is desirable for cross-cultural research.

Coping strategies and psychological distress among mothers during COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of social support

The Indonesian government implemented a large-scale social restriction policy as part of the efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. This policy impacted the population, including mothers, and caused considerable psychological distress. Individual efforts to cope (avoidant and approach coping strategies) and support from significant persons might help handle the distress experienced by mothers. The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate the effect of individual coping strategies on psychological distress and the moderating role of social support among Indonesian mothers. An online survey was administered from 20th to 25th April 2020 to 1534 Indonesian mothers (Mean age 37.12 years; SD 6.63). Brief COPE (28 items), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale/DASS (18 items), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support/MSPSS (12 items) were used to measure coping strategies, psychological distress, and social support, respectively. IBM SPSS 24 software was used to analyze the data. The result showed that moderate and high levels of social support moderated the relationship between approach coping strategies and psychological distress (B = .041, CI .007-.075). When the mother uses approach coping, her psychological distress will decrease further whenever she receives moderate and high level social support. Any level of social support moderated the relationship between avoidant coping and psychological distress (B = -.100, CI -.138-.061). When mother used avoidant coping, her social support at any level served as buffer to her psychological distress. It can be concluded that mothers need to prioritize implementing approach coping strategies to lower their distress. Those who practiced avoidant coping strategies needed social support from their significant persons to decrease their distress.

Can a Mother's Parenting Style Predict Adolescent Oral Hygiene Behavior? A Self-Reported Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE

 Adolescent oral hygiene behavior plays a crucial role into adulthood and still requires attention from parents, especially mothers. Parenting done by the mother will directly affect the child's life, including the child's oral hygiene behavior. The aim of this study was to determine the role of the mother's parenting style in predicting adolescent oral hygiene behavior.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 A quantitative study with a cross-sectional approach was used to examine the role of parenting style on their teenage child's oral hygiene behavior. The instruments used were (1) a parenting style measuring instrument to measure supportive and nonsupportive parenting styles of mothers (parent as social context questionnaire) and (2) a self-structured oral hygiene behavior measuring instrument based on the theory of planned behavior. The population of this study were students at SMP PGRI Depok and SMP Negeri 11 Depok, West Java, aged between 12 and 14 years. The sampling technique used total sampling on SMP PGRI students and multistage random sampling on students at SMP Negeri 11 Depok with a total sample of 230 students. Data analysis was done using multiple linear regression test.

RESULTS

 Statistical regression tests showed that nonsupportive parenting style did not predict adolescent oral hygiene behavior (p = 0.567), while supportive parenting style did predict adolescent oral hygiene behavior (p = 0.000). Supportive parenting style predicts 31.2% of adolescent oral hygiene behavior.

CONCLUSION

 Mother's supportive parenting style plays a role in predicting adolescent oral hygiene, and the mother's nonsupportive parenting style does not play a role in predicting adolescent oral hygiene behavior.

Mindful Parenting as a Mediator in Parents' Perspective-Taking: Exploring the Roles of Causal Attribution and Self-Compassion

Background

Existing literature has examined the link between parent causal attribution and self-compassion in parent perspective-taking, but the impact of mindful parenting as a mediator remains underexplored.

Purpose

The present study examines the mediating effect of mindful parenting on the relationship between parental attribution and self-compassion in parents' perspective-taking.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional design, 208 parents aged 30 to 59 (M = 42, SD = 4.3) with first-born adolescents aged 12-18 participated in the study.

Results

The results revealed that mindful parenting fully mediated the relationship between parental causal attribution and perspective-taking while partially mediating the association between self-compassion and perspective-taking.

Conclusion

These findings emphasize the crucial role of mindful parenting in explaining the relationship between parent causal attribution, self-compassion, and parent perspective-taking. Further research is needed to explore these relationships in more diverse and representative samples.

Child Development Card (KKA) as a discriminant tool for the growth and development of stunted and normal children in Indonesia

Background

Stunting is a significant concern in Indonesia, but its detection currently relies on anthropometric measurements, lacking the integration of comprehensive evaluations of child development. Therefore, the Child Development Card (KKA) serves as a valuable instrument employed to assess the growth and developmental aspects of children.

Aim

This research aimed to investigate the potential of KKA as a discriminative tool for distinguishing between stunted and normal children.

Methods

The participants consisted of 159 and 88 normal and stunted children aged 13-24 and 25-60 months. The aspects of children's development examined included passive communication, social behavior, gross motor skills, active communication, fine motor skills, intelligence, and self-help skills. Discriminant analysis was conducted to identify the developmental aspects differentiating stunted children from normal children.

Results

The analysis using SPSS 25 showed that the discriminating aspects of children's development between stunted and normal children were gross motor skills, fine motor skills, passive communication, and intelligence. For the age group of 13-24 months, the discriminant function is represented as D = - 0.276 + 0.197 K - 0.511 GK + 0.361 KP. Meanwhile, for the age group of 25-60 months, the discriminant function is expressed as D = - 2.586 + 0.151 GK - 0.081 GH.

Conclusion

Stunted and normal children could be differentiated based on four key aspects of development: gross and fine motor skills, passive communication, and intelligence. These findings aid in the early detection of stunted children and emphasize the crucial role of parental stimulation across these four aspects.

Adaptation of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38) for Adolescents - Indonesian Version

Objective

This study validates the Indonesian version of the Mental Health Inventory-38 (MHI-38) for use among Indonesian adolescents. The adaptation process followed guidelines from the International Test Commission and involved translation, expert review, cognitive interviews, and psychometric evaluation. A total of 562 adolescents (mean age = 15.42, SD = 1.84) participated in the study.

Results

The MHI-38 demonstrated dual factors: psychological well-being and psychological distress. Internal consistency was high for the MHI-38 (α = 0.892) and its factors: psychological well-being (α = 0.894) and psychological distress (α = 0.952). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit (RMSEA = 0.048, CFI = 0.945, NFI = 0.908, TLI = 0.929). Psychological well-being correlated moderately with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (r = 0.469, p = 0.00) and positive affect (r = 0.448, p = 0.00), but negatively with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (r = -0.230, p = 0.00). Psychological distress correlated strongly with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (r = 0.910, p = 0.00) and negative affect (r = 0.857, p = 0.00), but negatively with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (r = 0.556, p = 0.00).

Conclusion

The Indonesian version of the MHI-38 demonstrated good psychometric properties and validity, making it a reliable tool for assessing mental health in Indonesian adolescents.

A Qualitative Exploration of Parenting Adolescents in Indonesia

OBJECTIVE

To explore how parents of Indonesian adolescents conceptualize adolescence and to identify the challenges faced in parenting adolescents, focusing on parents from different sociodemographic backgrounds.

METHOD

Focus group discussions (FGD) were undertaken with parents of adolescents aged 10-18 years old from different sociodemographic backgrounds (urban high socioeconomic; urban low socioeconomic; rural low socioeconomic) using a semi-structured interview guide. Content and thematic analysis were assisted by Nvivo version 12.6.0.

RESULTS

Forty-three parents participated in four FGD. All parents recognized that adolescence was a distinct developmental stage, reflected in changing behaviors, escalation of peer influences and sexual development. Parents from poor, rural backgrounds had relatively limited understanding of the emerging capabilities of adolescents and had a narrow repertoire of responses to challenging behaviors, with heavy reliance on religious rules and punishment. Parents from higher socioeconomic backgrounds displayed a wider range of warmer, more engaging approaches that they reported using to shape their children's behaviors.

CONCLUSION FOR PRACTICE

These findings highlight opportunities to enhance parenting skills, which appear most warranted in parents of adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds. Embedding basic adolescent parenting information within community programs appears indicated, and enhancing religious leaders' understanding of different approaches to parenting could be helpful in more religious communities.

Parenting Style and Emotional Well-Being Among Adolescents: The Role of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration

The research examined the relationship between supportive parenting styles (warmth, structure, and autonomy support) and emotional well-being and whether they are mediated by basic psychological need satisfaction. It also explores thwarting parenting styles (rejection, chaos, and coercion) that may be associated with emotional ill-being, mediated by basic psychological needs frustration. This study involved 394 Indonesian adolescents aged 11–15 years old (49.5% boys, 50.5% girls) as the participants. We employed the structural equation model (SEM) analysis to evaluate the hypotheses. The research found that basic psychological needs satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between supportive parenting styles and emotional well-being; basic psychological needs frustration fully mediated the relationship between thwarting parenting styles and emotional ill-being (Chi-Square = 434.39; df = 220; p = 0.000; RMSEA = 0.05; CFI = 0.91; GFI = 0.91; SRMR = 0.05). Interestingly, the findings indicate that the thwarting parenting style positively influences basic psychological needs satisfaction. The research concludes that supportive parenting enhances the well-being of adolescents by satisfying their basic psychological needs. However, thwarting parental behaviors did not forestall the satisfaction of needs. The way Indonesian adolescents perceived the thwarting parenting style was discussed.

Apakah Misleading Headline News Covid-19 Berpengaruh terhadap Keputusan Membaca Isi Berita?

Headline merupakan hal yang pertama kali dilihat oleh calon pembaca berita. Misleading headline adalah jenis headline yang secara sengaja menutupi informasi penting, mengemas judul dengan menarik agar banyak orang membaca isi berita tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah misleading headline news Covid-19 berpengaruh terhadap keputusan mahasiswa untuk membaca isi berita. Pendekatan eksperimental digunakan dengan rancangan between participant post-test only design. Alat ukur yang digunakan adalah kuesioner pengambilan keputusan dengan skala Likert 1-6. Teknik sampling yang digunakan untuk memilih subjek penelitian adalah simple random sampling. Subjek penelitian berjumlah 48 orang mahasiswa yang dibagi menjadi kelompok eksperimen dan kelompok kontrol, masing-masing berjumlah 24 orang. Analisis data menggunakan uji Independent Sample t-test dengan aplikasi SPSS versi 22 for Windows. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa non-misleading headline news Covid-19 yang berpengaruh terhadap keputusan untuk membaca isi berita pada mahasiswa. Hasil ini menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa memiliki keterampilan evaluasi kritis dan literasi informasi dalam keputusan membaca berita. 

Pengaruh Jenis Berita COVID-19 terhadap Tingkat Kecemasan Mahasiswa

Seiring dengan situasi pandemi COVID-19, media massa didominasi dengan pemberitaan mengenai perkembangan COVID-19, baik berita positif maupun negatif. Munculnya berbagai berita ini berperan besar dalam memicu kecemasan, terutama berita yang bersifat negatif. Atas dasar hal tersebut, penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan melihat pengaruh jenis berita perkembangan COVID-19 (positif, negatif, dan netral) terhadap tingkat kecemasan mahasiswa. Pendekatan metode eksperimental  menggunakan rancangan simple randomized pretest-posttest design. Responden merupakan 75 mahasiswa (laki-laki=9, perempuan=66), dibagi menjadi kelompok eksperimen A (diberikan berita negatif, n= 26), kelompok eksperimen B (diberikan berita positif, n= 25) dan kelompok kontrol (diberikan berita netral, n= 24). Kecemasan responden diukur sebelum dan sesudah perlakuan menggunakan Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) dan Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). Hasil uji one-way ANOVA menunjukkan bahwa tidak terdapat perbedaan selisih tingkat kecemasan yang signifikan antara kelompok eksperimen A, eksperimen B, dan kontrol (F(2)=0,1468, p>0,05). Tidak adanya perbedaan yang signifikan disebabkan oleh tidak munculnya setelah membaca berita. Emotional arousal tidak muncul dikarenakan pengalaman responden mendapatkan paparan berulang berita negatif sebelum penelitian dan karena perbedaan individu dalam pengalaman emotional arousal. Dengan demikian, dampak paparan berita negatif pada kesehatan mental tidak terlalu signifikan setelah pandemik COVID-19 dialami cukup lama.