Abstract
Research has consistently documented that the death of a close family member can disrupt a family’s functional equilibrium and has a deleterious effect on adolescents’ adaptation; however, little attention has been paid to behavioral adaptation of adolescents after a loss in a collective setting. Attempting to fill this research gap, the objectives of the current study are: (1) to identify autonomy support profiles based on two centered figures (parents and head teachers) and (2) to examine whether these emerging profiles may moderate the association between the two dimensions of grit (perseverance and consistency) and externalizing problem behavior in Chinese family-bereaved adolescents. A total of 763 family-bereaved adolescents aged from 13 to 18 years (60.3% girls; Mage = 15.74; SD = 1.53) were involved in the current study; they were asked to fill a battery of self-report questionnaires. A latent profile analysis revealed three autonomy support profiles: high parental autonomy support–high teacher autonomy support (HPHT; n = 598), high parental autonomy support–low teacher autonomy support (HPLT; n = 34), and low parental autonomy support–low teacher autonomy support (LPLT; n = 131). Moreover, results from linear regression analyses, after controlling for relevant bereavement variables, sociodemographics, and social desirability, showed that perseverance and consistency were negatively related to externalizing problem behavior for adolescents within the HPHL profile; nevertheless, the association between perseverance and externalizing problem behavior turned to be positive for adolescents within the HPLT profile. The current study sheds light on the variability of the association between grit and family-bereaved adolescents’ behavioral adaptation and further enriches the beneficial effect of autonomy support on adaptive functions in a collective cultural setting. The interplay between grit and autonomy support from parents and teachers has a significant influence on buffering externalizing problem behavior among family-bereaved adolescents.
Highlights
The death of a close family member can disrupt a family’s functional equilibrium and can have a profound effect on the entire family, affecting all surviving members and their relationships (Walsh and McGoldrick, 2013)
According to potential vulnerability reviewed earlier and the salience of family relationships in the context of Chinese culture, we aim to investigate the possible protective factors that may mitigate this harmful effect of family bereavement on externalizing problem behavior among Chinese family-bereaved adolescents
We examine whether these emerging profiles may moderate the association between two dimensions of grit and externalizing problem behavior in Chinese family-bereaved adolescents
Summary
The death of a close family member (e.g., a sibling or grandparent) can disrupt a family’s functional equilibrium and can have a profound effect on the entire family, affecting all surviving members and their relationships (Walsh and McGoldrick, 2013). Rooted in Confucianism, the mainstream ideology in China attaches particular importance to family relations and dignity (Chang et al, 2003; Lan et al, 2019a) In this cultural context, the loss of a close family member often poses a traumatic and deleterious effect on adolescents’ behavioral adaptation. Adolescents who lose a close family member still attend school, grievers are not encouraged to visit their friends’ homes or be involved in any celebratory activities until at least 100 days after the loss because they are often assumed to be linked to bad luck (Chan and Mak, 2000) These salient features of Chinese society make it especially a meaningful context in which to investigate the possible risk and protective factors for behavioral adaptation of family-bereaved adolescents
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