Abstract
Adolescents who believe that their parents treat them differently from their siblings have poorer psychosocial well-being than otherwise. This phenomenon, which is known as parental differential treatment or PDT occurs in up to 65% of families. Past studies have examined socio-demographic variables (e.g., child gender, age, and birth order) as predictors of PDT, but these immutable characteristics do little to inform interventions and help these adolescents. Hence, this study extends past research by investigating links among parent empathy, parent perception of PDT, child perception of PDT, child perception of fairness and child well-being (self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and trust in the relationship with parents). Furthermore, this study tests whether adolescent personality (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), child empathy, and child perception of fairness moderate these links. This study will utilize a two-wave longitudinal design with a 1-year lapse. Data will be collected from 760 Chinese adolescents studying from Secondary One to Secondary Three in 18 schools in Hong Kong and from their parents. We test our theoretical model via a multilevel structural equation model (ML-SEM). This study both addresses (a) theoretical debates about relations among empathy, PDT, fairness, and psychosocial well-being and (b) focuses on modifiable factors and behaviors, to inform future interventions, such as parent education.
Highlights
Mental health conditions account for 16% of illnesses and injuries in 10- to 19-year-olds (World Health Organization, 2018), so adolescent psychosocial health is a growing global public health issue (Patel et al, 2007)
Unlike past cross-sectional studies of immutable characteristics in Western societies that cannot test the directionality of relations (Meunier et al, 2012), the present longitudinal study (1) examines the prevalence of parental differential treatment (PDT) in Hong Kong; (2) tests whether the link between PDT and adolescent psychosocial well-being is mediated and moderated by adolescent perception of fairness, and moderated by adolescent personality, parent empathy or adolescent empathy; and (3) tests whether PDT at baseline (Time One) affects adolescent psychosocial well-being at follow-up (Time Two)
Multiple outcomes can have correlated residuals that underestimate standard errors, which we address via a multilevel structural equation model (ML-SEM, Joreskog and Sorbom, 2018)
Summary
Mental health conditions account for 16% of illnesses and injuries in 10- to 19-year-olds (World Health Organization, 2018), so adolescent psychosocial health is a growing global public health issue (Patel et al, 2007). Children with more empathetic parents than others might show greater empathy, less PDT, more perception of fairness, fewer internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, distrust), and fewer externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, Eisenberg et al, 1991; Strayer and Roberts, 2004). Unlike past cross-sectional studies of immutable characteristics in Western societies that cannot test the directionality of relations (Meunier et al, 2012), the present longitudinal study (1) examines the prevalence of PDT in Hong Kong; (2) tests whether the link between PDT and adolescent psychosocial well-being is mediated and moderated by adolescent perception of fairness, and moderated by adolescent personality, parent empathy or adolescent empathy; and (3) tests whether PDT at baseline (Time One) affects adolescent psychosocial well-being at follow-up (Time Two). With the exclusion of those clinically diagnosed with cognitive or learning problems. (b) Parents: (1) Chinese parents of children in grades 7–9 (both fathers and mothers; if the family was non-intact or either the father or mother passed away, the parent who lived with the adolescent completed the questionnaire; (2) have at least two children; and (3) can read Chinese
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