Family Climate Research Articles

CONFLITOS FAMILIARES E SAÚDE EMOCIONAL

This study sought to identify the relationship between family conflict and the emotional health of those involved. It was about family relationships and emotional health, highlighting the main family conflicts and their emotional consequences on the members. Authors report that family disagreements can cause countless psychological harm to those involved, affecting emotional health. It was noted in the literature that a healthy family climate with the presence of support and lower levels of conflict and violence contribute to the good development of psychological well-being and minimize psychopathological factors. Other studies are essential to better elucidate and deepen knowledge in understanding the impacts of family conflicts on the emotional health of those involved.

An Examination of the Relationship between Family Climate, Emotional Authenticity, and Technology Addiction among University Students

This study aims to examine the relationships between family climate, emotional authenticity, and technology addiction among university students. The research was conducted with 1,012 university students, based on a descriptive-relational survey model. Data were collected using family climate, emotional authenticity, and technology addiction scales, and analyzed through descriptive analysis, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicate that participants generally have a positive family climate. In terms of emotional authenticity, it was found that students have a moderate ability to express their emotions and understand the emotions of others. The levels of technology addiction were also found to be generally moderate. The model used in the study revealed that the independent variables explained 35.6% of the variance in technology addiction. It was found that as family relationality (β=-0.18), cognitive harmony (β=-0.07), acceptance of external influence (β=-0.17), and emotional avoidance (β=-0.37) increased, technology addiction decreased, while an increase in intergenerational authority (β=0.17) led to an increase in technology addiction. These findings highlight the impact of family relationships and individuals' emotional experiences on technology addiction. Furthermore, it was found that family climate, emotional authenticity, and technology addiction scores significantly differed according to gender and class level. These findings contribute to the understanding of important socio-psychological factors affecting technology addiction among university students.

Cascading Effects of the Family Context in Adolescence: Implications for Young Adult Antisocial Behavior and Intergenerational Transmission of Risk.

Inspired by the tremendous impact of Robert McMahon's career, this study evaluated an intergenerational cascade model in which young adult conduct problems may serve as a risk pathway linking generation 1 (G1) parenting and family climate in adolescence with generation 2 parenting quality and family climate with their children (G2-G3). Our sample included 396 parents (Mage = 28.3; 70% women; child Mage = 3.96, 48% girls) who have participated in the PROSPER study since they were in 6th grade. Our developmental model included a random intercept cross-lagged panel model assessing bidirectional relations between family climate and effective discipline, assessed over six measurement occasions from 6th through 10th grade (G1). In turn, random intercepts for family climate and effective discipline in adolescence predicted distal outcomes: young adult antisocial behavior (assessed at ages 20, 23, and 25) and G2-G3 parenting quality (warm, lax, harsh, and abusive parenting) and family-level (cohesion, conflict, routines) functioning. Cross-lagged analyses revealed a bidirectional relation between G1 family processes: in early adolescence, higher levels of a positive family climate were associated with increases in effective discipline; in middle adolescence, the direction of effects reversed, with effective discipline predicting increases in positive family climate. In terms of cascading effects, a more positive G1 family climate was associated with reduced risk for young adult antisocial behavior, but no effect was evident for G1 effective discipline. Antisocial behavior was linked with all three aspects of G2-G3 family climate and with lower levels of parental warmth. Direct, domain-specific intergenerational links were found for G1 family climate with G2-G3 family-level functioning and G1 effective discipline with more effective G2-G3 parenting.

Childhood illnesses as risk indicators of adult mental health symptomatology

BackgroundLinks between childhood illnesses such as acne and migraines and co-occurring or subsequent mental health symptomatol-ogy are not well understood. Early medical histories have seldom been examined as adversity risk indicators.Participants and procedureThis survey analysis of college students (N = 2,636) examined links between four forms of childhood illness (migraine head-aches, acne, asthma, and enuresis) and adult mental health symptomatology.ResultsFour medical conditions often diagnosed in childhood or adolescence were prevalent enough in the college sample to test as risk indicators for lifetime mental health concerns. All four medical illnesses significantly raised the odds (ORM = 2.04) of lifetime depressive and anxiety disorder diagnoses. Current symptomatology was also raised for all but one (enuresis) medi-cal condition. These effects were found after controlling for respondent age and various forms of childhood maltreatment (sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse).ConclusionsHeightened awareness of medical histories during clinical intake assessments seems warranted. Adversity researchers might also consider the inclusion of childhood medical conditions as future maladjustment risk indicators. Study limitations included the cross-sectional design and unclearly specified timing of the self-reported psychological and health recollections. The role of modulating variables such as gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and family climate in physical-mental health relationships warrants continued focus.

The impact of family climate on problematic internet use: Findings from one nationwide study in China

BackgroundWith the growing attention paid to problematic internet use (PIU), this study aims to i) explore the prevalence of PIU based on a nationally representative sample and ii) propose and validate the theoretical model that correlates family climate with PIU. MethodsOne national cross-sectional study was conducted with probability sampling and stratified sampling. Overall, 21,854 sample were included and analyzed. Validated measures of family climate, loneliness, and PIU was distributed and collected from June 2022 to August 2022. ResultsThe overall prevalence of PIU in the sample population is approximately 30.86 %. The model findings showed that family communication and family health had indirect effects of −0.12 and − 0.05 on PIU by the mediating effects of loneliness. The indirect effect explained 80.0 % of the total effect of family communication on PIU and 38.5 % of family health on PIU, highlighting the dominance effects of path family communication and PIU via loneliness. Extended family type (−0.047, p = 0.050), low family income (income≤3000 group, −0.127, p < 0.001) were identified as protective factors against PIU, while not living with family members (0.034, p = 0.021) was identified as risk factors of PIU. LimitationsThe nature of cross-sectional data have the limitation of preventing examining the casual relationships of PIU and the loneliness and family climate, in which future longitudinal study design is needed. ConclusionsThe high prevalence of PIU should be given adequate attention. Optimizing the family climate or family atmosphere by improving positive communication skills, providing family support and family health external resources can be served as effective strategies for controlling PIU.

How can the Social Family Climate Contribute to Emotional Intelligence in Preventing Suicidal Ideation and Promoting Life Satisfaction Among Adolescents?

While findings have documented the association between emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, and suicidal ideation among adolescents, few studies have investigated the moderating effect of family climate on the association. This study examined the moderating effect of family cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict on the relationships between emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, and suicidal ideation among Spanish adolescents. A total of 2,722 adolescents aged 12 to 18 (Mage = 14.11, SD = 1.42, 52.8% girls) formed the sample. The interaction effects were significant, with family conflict mitigating the effects of emotional intelligence on life satisfaction, and family cohesion and expressiveness strengthening the effects of emotional intelligence on suicidal ideation. These findings provide additional evidence for the protective role of family cohesion and expressiveness in adolescent suicidal ideation, and the harmful role of family conflict in adolescent wellbeing. The results imply that enhancing family cohesion and expressiveness and reducing family conflict may be a promising way to boost the link between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction and to prevent suicidal ideation among adolescents.

Risk and protective factors associated with health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with ADHD in Germany - Findings from the consortium project INTEGRATE-ADHD.

The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals living with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is known to be impaired. Identifying factors that influence HRQoL can provide important information for the development of prevention and intervention programmes for affected children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to investigate health care-related and psychosocial risk and protective factors for HRQoL in children and adolescents with an administrative ADHD diagnosis. In the consortium project INTEGRATE-ADHD, n = 4,809 parents of children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years participated in an online survey between October 2021 and August 2022 and answered questions regarding HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-27), health care utilisation, and psychosocial risk and protective factors. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between these factors and the five HRQoL dimensions of the KIDSCREEN-27. Findings indicate that parental psychopathology and parental burden were risk factors for lower HRQoL in children and adolescents with ADHD. Further, a positive association was found between the five HRQoL dimensions and the psychosocial factors family climate and social support, indicating that these are protective factors. The results highlight the importance of prevention and intervention programmes for individuals with ADHD that consider parental mental health and aim to strengthen resources such as the availability of good family climate and social support.

The Family Climate Questionnaire: A general measure of autonomy support from family members.

The current study examines the psychometric characteristics of the Family Climate Questionnaire (FCQ), which was intended to measure the degree of autonomy-support among family members for a respondent with health concerns. The sample included military veterans (N = 350), a portion of whom had congestive heart failure (N = 86) or diabetes (N = 77), and a portion who were referred from primary care for behavioral health concerns (N = 187). Overall, 92.6% of the participants were male, and 56.7% were Black or African American and 40.6% were Caucasian. The findings highly supported the factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the Autonomy Support subscale. In addition, there was high support for factorial invariance across subsamples of veterans with chronic medical problems compared to those referred from primary care. The findings for an additional subscale developed for this study, Coercion, were less supportive, with insufficient convergence in factor structure and relatively poorer internal consistency. The FCQ Autonomy Support measure appears to have potential as a useful measure of a family environment that supports autonomy for health among individuals with both medical and mental health conditions, and it is a flexible measure that can be used with a range of family member types. The FCQ Coercion measure received less consistent empirical support and will require additional development and testing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories of mental health in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the longitudinal COPSY study

BackgroundMental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this population-based longitudinal study was to explore whether distinct mental health trajectories in youths can be identified over the course of the pandemic.MethodsMental health problems (MHP), psychosomatic symptoms and HRQoL were assessed at five time points between May 2020 and October 2022 in 744 children and adolescents aged 7 to 20 years using established instruments. We used generalized mixture modeling to identify distinct mental health trajectories and fixed-effects regressions to analyse covariates of the identified profiles of change.ResultsWe found five distinct linear latent trajectory classes each for externalising MHP and psychosomatic symptoms and four trajectory classes for internalising MHP. For HRQoL, a single-class solution that indicates a common development process proved to be optimal. The largest groups remained almost stable at a low internalising and externalising symptom level (64 to 74%) and consistently showed moderate psychosomatic symptoms (79%), while 2 to 18% showed improvements across the pandemic. About 10% of the youths had consistently high internalising problems, while externalising problems deteriorated in 18% of youths. Class membership was significantly associated with initial HRQoL, parental and child burden, personal resources, family climate and social support.ConclusionsThe mental health of most children and adolescents remained resilient throughout the pandemic. However, a sizeable number of youths had consistently poor or deteriorating mental health. Those children and adolescents need special attention in schools and mental health care.

Parental Mental Health, Gender, and Lifestyle Effects on Post-Pandemic Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Problems: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Northern Italy.

The exacerbation of psychosocial problems among children and adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitates an assessment of the long-term mental health impact of pandemic interventions. Focusing on both pandemic-related factors and demographic variables, such as gender and daily habits, an analysis was conducted to understand how these elements continue to affect young populations in the post-pandemic era. In April 2023, a comprehensive online survey was administered to families in South Tyrol, Italy, with children aged 7-19 years, to ensure age and gender representation. The survey included parent ratings and adolescent (11-19 years) self-reports using standardized instruments to measure the symptoms of mental health problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ), anxiety (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, SCARED), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2, PHQ-2). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and unadjusted odds ratios (ORs). Of the 4525 valid responses, 1831 were self-reported by adolescents. Notable gender differences in mental health outcomes were identified, along with significant demographic predictors, such as age, single parenthood, parental mental health problems, and immigrant background. Negative effects were associated with reduced family climate and increased screen time, whereas physical activity showed beneficial effects. Proxy reports overestimated adolescents' mental health problems, whereas self-reports tended to underestimate them. Persistent mental health problems and gender disparities highlight the need for a public health approach. This should include accessible support services, resilience building, targeted support for vulnerable families and gender-specific interventions.

Parent-child joint leisure activities during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Parents’ active participation in children’s activities can enhance communication and interaction in the family context, contributing to a positive family climate and healthy child development. This study examined Chinese parent–child joint leisure and media activities from February to May 2022 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place. A total of 1716 parents, forming a convenience sample, were surveyed to determine the frequency of parental participation in three types of joint activities: media, outdoor and artistic. Overall, the parents participated in joint activities once or twice weekly. The frequency of parental participation in joint activities is positively correlated with a positive family climate, indicating the importance of parents’ participation and involvement in joint activities for developing a strong family relationship. Parents’ ow’n text-based media is also positively associated with their frequency of participation in joint activity. Finally, significant differences among various regions in China suggest the influence of different lockdown policies.

Family Climate as a Mediator of the Relationship between Stress and Life Satisfaction: A Study with Young University Students.

The family environment has a significant influence on the personality development of young people and their assessment of life satisfaction. Perceived stress is related to life satisfaction, but this relationship is also influenced by the family context. The present study analysed the impact of perceived stress on life satisfaction and the mediating role of family climate in university students. A sample of 920 university students was recruited for this study. The instruments used included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Family Social Climate Scale, and socioeducational information was collected. The results indicate that perceived stress had a significant and positive effect on both conflictive and violent family climates, while life satisfaction was negatively impacted by these negative family climates. Additionally, supportive and cohesive family climates, along with difficulty expressing feelings and opinions, were found to have significant positive effects on life satisfaction. These findings highlight the importance of the family system in shaping individual conditions and how it can regulate the relationship between stress and life satisfaction.

A structural model for predicting addiction susceptibility in male adolescents based on family emotional climate with the mediation of resilience

Introduction: The family's emotional climate and resilience are among the protective factors against drug use by teenagers. Aim: The present study aimed to predict addiction susceptibility in male adolescents based on the family's emotional climate with the mediation of resilience. Methods: The research method was of the descriptive correlation type and the study's statistical population included all male students of public schools in Tehran in the first and second semesters of 2017-2018, from which 267 people were selected by multi-stage random sampling. The research tools included the Affective Family Climate Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Addiction Susceptibility Questionnaire-Adolescents Version. The data of the present research were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method and Imus software. Results: The present study's results showed that the family's emotional climate (β=-0.468, P=0.001) and resilience (β=-0.246, P=0.001) predict addiction susceptibility in male adolescents negatively and meaningfully. The family's emotional climate predicts addiction susceptibility in male adolescents through the mediation of resilience (β=0.083, P=0.001). Conclusion: The results of the present study emphasize the importance of the role of the family, both in terms of creating a favorable emotional climate and in terms of playing a role, as a suitable model in the emergence of behavior. It is suggested that parents also protect their children from the influence of peers and the use of tobacco and drugs by providing a suitable emotional climate.

Fostering Student Success: The Synergistic Effects of Family Climate and School Environment

This paper delves into the notable, interconnected tasks of family climate and school environment in stimulating student success. It also traverses how these two important influences work synergistically – meaning their combined effect is more than the total of their individual parts – to determine student academic achievement, emotional well-being, and overall development. The paper analyzes the features of positive family climates and supportive school environments, pointing up factors such as communication, parental involvement, clear expectations, and a sense of belonging. It then examines the research on the synergistic effects of these factors, demonstrating how a healthy home environment can amplify the benefits of a positive school experience, and vice versa.

Chinese adaptation of the reckless driving behaviour scale: Testing its psychometric properties and links with safe driving climate among family and peers

PurposeThe present study aimed to revise the Reckless Driving Behaviour Scale (RDBS) and examined its reliability and validity among young Chinese drivers. MethodsThe RDBS, the Safe Driving Climate among Friends Scale (SDCaF), the Family Climate for Road Safety Scale (FCRSS) and a social desirability scale were administrated to 560 young drivers. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA, n = 250) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n = 250) were conducted to examine the factorial structure of the RDBS. ResultsThe Chinese version of the RDBS has 18 items that are divided into 4 factors: distraction, substance use, extreme behaviour and positioning. Both the results of EFA and CFA confirmed its factorial structure. The reliability of the RDBS was acceptable and the concurrent validity of the scale was supported by its significant associations with the SDCaF and FCRSS factors. Finally, drivers who had violation involvement scored higher on all four factors than their peers who did not have violation involvement, providing evidence for its known-group validity. ConclusionThe revised RDBS has similar structure with the original version and its reliability and validity were satisfactory. It is an effective tool to measure the reckless driving behaviour of young drivers in China and interventions that incorporated joint efforts of family and peers should be developed.

The Role of Family Climate in Adolescents’ Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Role of Family Climate in Adolescents’ Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The transmission of driving styles from fathers to sons in Arab society in Israel: The contribution of parental attachment and family climate for road safety

This study examined the unique and combined contributions of father’s driving style and attachment to their son and the son’s perception of the family climate for road safety to the young driver’s driving style. One hundred Israeli Arab dyads of father-young male driver completed self-report questionnaires. Findings indicate that the higher the attachment dimensions, the more the son is likely to adopt a patient and careful style on the road, and the less likely he is to display a non-adaptive driving style. Positive associations were also found between the father’s driving style and that of his son. Moreover, the dimension of modeling in the family climate for road safety served as a mediator in the association between the driving styles of the father and son, with the exception of the anxious style. The findings highlight the importance of the personal example fathers provide to their sons in influencing the young driver’s behavior behind the wheel, especially in a culture that honors respect for and compliance with the father’s values and demands. They point to the need to design specific intervention programs for fathers of young drivers in Arab society.

Sibling and School Bullying Victimization and Its Relation With Children's Subjective Well-Being in Indonesia: The Protective Role of Family and School Climate.

Studies on the influence of family and school climates on the relationships between sibling and school bullying victimization and children's subjective well-being (SWB) in Indonesia are still scarce. The aims of this study are to investigate family and school climates as protective factors for children from the negative consequences of bullying by siblings or other children in school on SWB. The study used the third-wave data of the Children's Worlds survey that was collected in Indonesia in October 2017. Participants of the study were children aged 10 and 12 years old (N = 15,604; 49.8% girls, 50.2% boys, Mean age = 10.55; SD = 1.17). There are four questionnaires used in the study: five items measure bullying at home and at school, the Children's Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale, six items measure family climate, and four items measure school climate. Data were analyzed using R and the lavaan library for multilevel structural equation modeling, using full information maximum likelihood (FIML) for missing data and robust maximum likelihood (ML) estimation. Results showed that children who experienced bullying incidents, both at home by siblings and at school, predicted lower levels of SWB. School climate and family climate predicted higher levels of SWB. Results also showed that school bullying interacted significantly with school climate, while sibling bullying interacted significantly with family climate. Schools with students that reported more positive levels of family climate also reported higher levels of SWB. Students from public schools reported higher levels of SWB, which is unexpected.

Family Climate, Perception of Academic Achievements, Peer Engagement in Cyberbullying, and Cyber Roles among Adolescents

Cyberbullying is a disturbing form of behavior associated with the use of communication technologies among adolescents. Many studies have been devoted to cyberbullies and cyber victims, neglecting an important growing group: cyberbullies who are also cyber victims. Moreover, few studies refer to all cyberbullying roles and factors associated with them. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine differences in family climate, peers’ engagement in cyberbullying, and perception of academic achievements among involvements in cyberbullying roles. Data are collected by telephone or face-to-face from a sample of 277 eleventh- to twelfth-grade students in Israel who are asked to participate in the survey. Cyberbullying roles are composed of two variables—cyberbullies and cyber victims, creating four groups: cyberbullies, cyber victims, cyberbullies-and-victims, and non-involved. Three types of family climate are measured: warmth, order and supervision, and conflict. Respondents report their perceptions of peers’ engagement in cyberbullying. At the personal level, gender, perception of academic achievements, and school absence are measured. Multinomial logistic regression findings show that boys are more likely to be cyberbullies and cyberbullies-victims than are girls; family conflicts increase the odds of being cyberbullies and cyber victims; and family warmth decreases the odds of being cyber victims and cyberbullies-cyber victims. Perception of peers’ engagement in cyberbullying increases the odds of being cyberbullies and cyberbullies-victims. Perception of academic achievements and school absence have opposite effects on cyber victims, the former increasing the odds of being cyber victims and the latter decreasing them. The results emphasize the role of family and peers in adolescents’ cyber behavior. Limitations and conclusions are discussed.

Matching Process Concerning Children With Disabilities in Family Foster Care

ABSTRACTChildren with disabilities are over‐represented in foster care and exposed to more disruptions. This is unfortunate because they need long‐term relationships and predictability, as well as access to special schools and health care. Disruption can be the result of a poor match between the child and the foster family. In this article, we focus on the matching process in relation to children with disabilities. Zeijlmans et al. describe matching as the process by which social workers move from principles of good matching to realistic matching, depending on existing premises. Using their model, we analyse the matching process for children with disabilities in Sweden. The study is based on 31 individual interviews and six group interviews with social workers and social work managers. They describe how they take into account the family climate, family composition and prior knowledge and/or experience of disability in the foster home. However, disruptions occur even when these conditions are met. Stable placements seem to be more related to the fostered child's progress when the family's efforts are rewarded. We also address the complex issue of what disability actually means in the context of foster care, given the interrelatedness of trauma, maltreatment and impairment.