Association between Familism and Mental Health in College Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Familism, also known in the literature as allocentrism, is the cultural propensity of a society to place the family at the center of its value system. Adherence to this value has been related to less depressive symptomatology in young people; however, these results are not conclusive, since it has also been found that the influence of familism on depressive symptoms is more indirect than direct. This study aimed to explore the direct relationships between familism (allocentrism and idiocentrism) and mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress). Methodologically, the study had a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. A sample of 451 Chilean university students responded to an instrument composed of the subscales allocentrism, idiocentrism, depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that family allocentrism was positively and significantly associated with depression (γ = 0.112, p < 0.05), anxiety (γ = 0.209, p < 0.001), and stress (γ = 0.212, p < 0.001), and family idiocentrism was negatively and significantly linked with depression (γ = -0.392, p < 0.001), anxiety (γ = -0.368, p < 0.001), and stress (γ = -0.408, p < 0.001). These findings contribute to supporting actions to reduce negative symptomatology and promote greater well-being in university students.