Family Climate Research Articles

Determinants of School Satisfaction in Times of Crisis According to Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs

ABSTRACT In the initial phase of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), schools were closed, forcing most students to stay home on school days. In this chaotic and stressful situation, facing a potential life-threatening disease, parents needed to handle their family life, their own work, in addition to being teachers of their children. This situation may have been especially stressful for parents of children in need of special education. In this study, we examined possible determinants of parental satisfaction with the school during the lockdown using a sample of parents (N = 476) with children in need of special education. By applying a multivariate regression model, we found that the strongest predictor of parental satisfaction with the school during the lockdown was good communication between the parents and the school (r = .38), followed by how often the teachers were in contact with the children (r = .18) and how well the teachers guided the parents regarding home-schooling (r = .17). Notably, the degree of the children’s difficulties, family climate or socioeconomic status was not related to parental satisfaction with the school during the lockdown.

The Role of Children in the Family Purchase Decision-Making Process About Healthy Versus Unhealthy Food

This study explores how children are involved in the family decision-making process when buying healthy vs unhealthy food, and whether this involvement is influenced by family emotional climate. Participants are 239 parents of 7 to 13 years old children. They completed a set of self-report questionnaire related to healthy and unhealthy foods perception; consumer purchase decision making process; children's influences strategies in food purchase; influence exerted by children in the food purchasing process; family cohesion, flexibility, and communication. The results highlight how the children used influence strategies and became more involved in consumer purchasing decisions when they come to unhealthy food than healthy food. The emotional family climate also modifies both the frequency of use and the level of participation in the consumer purchase decision making process. This study provides insight into the key predictors of the development of certain consumption skills in children and how they use them to influence the family purchase of healthy and unhealthy foods.

Adolescent and Family-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Bipolar Disorders: An Open Trial and Individual TrajectoriesStudyin Routine Psychiatric Care.

Psychosocial treatments improve outcome in Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), but few are developed specifically for adolescents and none has been evaluated in Europe. This study evaluates family-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents (ages 13-18) with PBD in routine psychiatric care in Sweden, adapted for teenagers in a European setting from the Child and Family-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for PBD (ages 8-12) developed in the US. In a repeated-measure open trial, psychosocial functioning, depression, skills and knowledge about PBD, and family climate were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and after 6months. Assessments were made by adolescents (n = 45), parents (n = 61) and clinicians. Both group statistics and individual trajectories are reported. Psychosocial function, as rated by parents and clinicians, improved at post-treatment, and parents reported less mania and improved family climate at post-treatment. Both parents and adolescents reported improved skills and knowledge. Most results after treatment showed medium effect sizes. Significant improvements were seen in most individual trajectories, however no change and even deterioration was observed in some. The present trial shows that AFF-CBT is well accepted and associated with improved psychosocial function in adolescents and improved skills and knowledge about PBD in adolescents and their parents. Regarding mood symptoms and family climate the results showed more individual variability, indicating that adjustments in delivery of the treatment according to the unique patient could be of importance. AFF-CBT seems to be a valuable addition to pharmacological treatments in PBD.

Associations of parental attitudes and health behaviors with children’s screen time over four years

BackgroundParents are significantly important in shaping the screen use of children within a family system. This study aimed to examine the associations of Chinese children’s screen time (ST) over four years with parents’ attitudes toward their own screen use and physical activities (PA) and health behaviors including their ST, PA, cigarette smoking, and alcohol drinking.MethodsThe current study utilized data from two waves (2011 and 2015) of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), including 1,941 mother-father-child triads in 2011 and 2,707 mother-father-child triads in 2015 (with children aged 0-17-years-old). The ST of children and the parental attitudes and health behaviors were measured via self-report or proxy-report (for children under 6 years old) questionnaires. Pool-OLS regression models were used to assess the associations of parental attitudes and health behaviors with the ST of children. Moderation models were built to assess whether these associations depended on the gender, age, and family income of children, as well as whether paternal and maternal influences were moderated by the other parent. A multilevel cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was used to assess parental influences on children’s ST over four years.ResultsPaternal ST (β = 0.09, p < 0.001), maternal ST (β = 0.10, p < 0.001), and paternal alcohol drinking (β = 0.30, p < 0.05) were positively associated with children’s ST. In addition, maternal smoking had a positive association with girls’ ST (β = 0.53, p < 0.05). Moreover, the association between maternal ST and children’s ST was observed to decline as family income increased (β = -0.03, p < 0.001). Paternal ST had a larger positive association with children’s ST when the ST of mothers exceeded 14 h/week (β = 0.06, p < 0.05). Furthermore, lagged associations were found between paternal attitudes toward PA (β = -1.63, p < 0.05) or maternal cigarette smoking (β = 1.46, p < 0.05) and children’s ST measured four years later.ConclusionChildren establish a healthy lifestyle within the family system. From the perspective of the healthy family climate, the current study suggests that future programs for reducing children’s ST should be built through an integrative approach with special attention to parental attitudes and health behaviors.

Family Climate in Pandemic Times: Adolescents and Mothers

In this article, we examine changes in family climate during the first Covid‐19‐related lockdown in Germany. We compare the perspectives of mothers and adolescents to explore whether the factors of perceived changes in family climate are systematically and significantly different between these groups. We measure family climate as positive emotional climate, a sub‐dimension of the family environment scale, to capture a feeling of cohesion and emotional openness within the family. Based on family system theory and the family stress model, we expect an overall deterioration in family climate due to increased environmental adaptation in the pandemic. Furthermore, we expect family climate to deteriorate less when families have economic and social resources available. On the other hand, we assume that being employed and/or primarily responsible for family care relates to a stronger decline in the family climate. We employ longitudinal survey data (AID:A) from around 300 German families with children aged nine to 17 and apply individual fixed effects models to investigate changes in family climate from 2019 to 2020. Almost half of our respondents report a decrease in family climate. For mothers, the share of unpaid care work at home is the only significant predictor: Mothers doing more than 80% of the chores and childcare feel a greater decrease in family climate. For adolescents, however, being at risk of poverty and having less frequent family activities are important predictors of stronger decreases in family climate. In summary, our results illustrate the relevance of distinguishing between the perspective of children and parents in family studies.

Victims of dating violence in adolescence: the role of problematic use of social networks sites, loneliness, and family climate

The relationship between online-offline socialization contexts during adolescence has become a relevant research topic in recent years, especially in the field of intimate partner violence. To better understand this association, the present study analyzes the relationship between dating violence (DV) victimization and the problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU), the feeling of loneliness, and the family climate, taking into account the adolescents' gender. 1020 adolescents from Andalusia participated (49% boys, M = 16.12, SD = .99). A cluster analysis, which established two groups (victimized and non-victimized), multivariate analysis of variance (2x2 MANOVA) using sex and DV as independent variables, and univariate analysis of variance to explore the significant relationships detected, were performed. The results showed that adolescent victims of DV obtained higher scores than non-victims in PSNSU, feelings of loneliness, and family conflict, and lower scores in family cohesion. Victimized girls generally showed lower scores than victimized boys. The results obtained provide relevant and useful information for the prevention of DV and the promotion of healthy relationships in early dating relationships. In addition, they point out the importance of considering the online context in research on violence in adolescence. La relación existente entre los contextos de socialización online-offline durante la adolescencia se ha convertido en un tema de investigación relevante en los últimos años, especialmente en el ámbito de la violencia de pareja. Para entender mejor este vínculo, el presente estudio analiza la relación entre la victmización en la violencia de pareja, el uso problemático de las redes sociales virtuales, el sentimiento de soledad y el clima familiar, considerando el género de los adolescentes. Participaron 1020 adolescentes procedentes de Andalucía (49% chicos, M = 16.12; DT = .99). Se realizó un análisis por conglomerados que permitió establecer dos grupos (victimizados y no victimizados), un análisis multivariado de la varianza (2x2 MANOVA) utilizando sexo y violencia de pareja como variables independientes y análisis univariados de varianza para explorer las relaciones significativas detectadas. En los resultados se observó que los/las adolescentes víctimas de violencia de pareja obtuvieron puntuaciones más elevadas que las no víctimas en la adicción a las redes sociales virtuales, sentimiento de soledad y conflicto familiar, y puntuaciones más bajas en cohesión familiar. Las chicas victimizadas mostraron en general puntuaciones más bajas que los chicos victimizados. Los resultados obtenidos aportan información relevante y útil para la prevención de la violencia de pareja y el fomento de relaciones saludables en las primeras relaciones amorosas. Además, señalan la importancia de considerar el contexto online en la investigación acerca de la violencia en la adolescencia.

Supplemental Material for Ethnic–Racial Socialization, Family Climate, and Anxiety Among African American and Latinx Emerging Adults

Supplemental Material for Ethnic–Racial Socialization, Family Climate, and Anxiety Among African American and Latinx Emerging Adults

Exploring the relationship between family climate and spiritual intelligence and well-being among Indian adolescents

Adolescence is an important developmental stage between childhood and adulthood and presents numerous physical and psychological changes that pose unique challenges for adolescents. Spirituality has long been recognized as having a major impact on mental health and overall well-being during this phase. This study explored the relationship between family climate, spiritual intelligence, and well-being among adolescents aged 13-18. 108 participants aged 13-18 took part in this research study. Data was gathered using the Spiritual Intelligence Scale, Family Environment Scale, and General Well-Being Schedule. Our findings revealed a positive partial relationship between spiritual intelligence and family climate as well as between family climate and well-being among adolescents. These results demonstrate the significance of positive parent-child relationships characterized by minimal conflict, strong support, and clear communication. Relationships that foster adolescents’ faith and identity development play a significant role in shaping adolescent religious participation. Family climate can play an integral part in molding the lives of adolescents. These findings contribute to our knowledge of the factors affecting adolescents’ well-being, emphasizing supportive family dynamics and spiritual intelligence development during this critical developmental stage.

The Role of Family Climates and Attachment Style in Romantic Relationship in Predicting Relation Role Expectations Among Adults

Considering the increasing divorce rates today, it is noteworthy that it is necessary to determine the factors that individuals pay attention to in choosing a spouse. From this point of view, the aim of the study is to examine the effect of family climate and attachment style on the prediction of adults' relationship role expectations.The sample of the study consists of 256 women and 103 men who are legally of age living in Turkey. Based on the purpose of the research, the data were collected with the Personal Information Form, Marriage Role Expectation Scale, the Family Climate Scale and the Three-Dimensional Attachment Styles Scale. Correlations between variables were examined and multiple regression analysis was performed. According to the results of the research, relationship role expectations showed correlations with individuals' age, gender, number of siblings, family type, marital status, cohabitants and romantic relationship status. It was seen that the only variable predicting egalitarian role expectation was gender. Gender, marital status, intergenerational authority, secure attachment style, and anxious-avoidant attachment variables were found to predict traditional role expectancy. Keywords: Marriage role expectations, attachment, family climate, role theory, family system theory.

The Effects of Perceived Social Support, Family Climate, and Adult Attachment Styles on Digital Game Addiction in Esports Players

The Effects of Perceived Social Support, Family Climate, and Adult Attachment Styles on Digital Game Addiction in Esports Players

The Moderating Role of Dyadic Coping in the Link Between Parenting Stress and Couple Relationship Quality in Parents of Children with ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. The child’s ADHD symptoms are associated with increased stress levels for parents. Previous research has shown that parenting stress has a negative impact on parental relationship quality, but those negative effects can be mitigated through the couple’s positive dyadic coping. However, these associations have not yet been studied for parents of children with ADHD. Therefore, this cross-sectional online study was aiming at investigating whether dyadic coping moderates the link between parenting stress and couple relationship quality in parents of children with ADHD in comparison to parents of children without ADHD. Data from 446 parents of children aged 6 to 16 years (clinical group: n = 265 parents of children with ADHD; control group: n = 181 parents of children without ADHD) were analyzed separately for both groups using moderation analyses. Results showed that negative dyadic coping significantly moderated the association between parenting stress and relationship quality in parents of children with ADHD, such that the link was positive, when negative dyadic coping was low. No comparable results were found in the control group. With respect to positive dyadic coping, there were no moderation effects in either group. The findings indicate that stress in parents of children with ADHD may have a favorable effect on the couple relationship if negative dyadic coping is minimized. Therefore, reducing negative dyadic coping could have a beneficial effect on the parents’ relationship quality and ultimately on the overall family climate.

Correlations and dominant climatic factors among diversity patterns of plant families, genera, and species

At present, the relationship between the diversity distribution patterns of different taxonomic levels of plants and climatic factors is still unclear. This paper explored the diversity pattern of vascular plant families, genera, and species in China at the municipal scale. It also studied the effects of accumulated temperature ≥ 10°C, annual precipitation, and hydrothermal base which reflect the effect of hydrothermal resources on the plant diversity pattern. The results showed that: There were extremely significant correlations among the diversities of plant families, genera, and species, and the interpretation degree of diversity between adjacent the taxonomic levels was more than 90%. The diversity pattern of plant families was mainly affected by dominant climatic state indicators such as the maximum value of accumulated temperature, annual precipitation, and hydrothermal base, and the gradient range of the hydrothermal base, which showed a clear latitudinal gradient law. The diversity pattern of plant species was found to be mainly dependent on the climatic heterogeneity indicators, being closely related to the heterogeneity indicators and sum indicators of the hydrothermal base. It was also affected by the range of precipitation gradient range. Plant genus and its diversity pattern are not only significantly affected by heterogeneity and sum indicators but also closely related to climate state indicators. In comparison with the humidity index in vegetation ecological studies, the related indicators of the hydrothermal base proposed in this paper excelled at revealing the relationship between climate and diversity patterns of plant families, genera, and species, and could effectively solve the species-area relationship issue in arid and low-temperature areas. The results of this paper have presented important theoretical and practical values for comprehensively understanding the correlation between climate and diversity of plant families, genera, and species, clarifying the impact of climate difference and climate change on plant diversity.

Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Italian LGBT+ Young Adults' Mental Health: The Role of Neuroticism and Family Climate.

Vulnerable populations have been among the most affected by the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic; among those, young people and sexual and gender minorities have seen their situation exacerbated by new specific regulations. The aim of the present study was twofold: first, to assess the role of family climate, concerning participants' LGBT+ status during lockdown restrictions, in mediating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal quality of life and mental health (stress, depression, and anxiety); second, to assess how individual stable traits can moderate the relationship between the individual impact of COVID-19 on mental health outcomes. A total of 407 young adults aged 18 to 35 (M age = 25.03 years; SD = 4.68) who self-identified as being part of a sexual or gender minority took part in this study. Results highlight the association between negative family climate and internalizing symptoms of psychological distress, and its role as a partial mediator of the relationship between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the individual level and mental health outcomes. Additionally, low personality trait levels of neuroticism significantly decreased the strength of the relationship between LGBT+ status during blocking restrictions and internalizing symptoms.

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on abortion access and pre-abortion mental health in Shanghai.

To understand the barriers to abortion in Shanghai during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to compare pre-abortion mental health status before and during the crisis. In this case-control study, two groups of women seeking abortion (age ≥18 years, pregnancy duration <98 days) were recruited from March to September, 2021 (n= 1070) and from February to April 2022 (n= 625). The evaluation included COVID-19-related abortion stress questions, the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Family Environment Scale Chinese version. The researchers conducted interviews and collected questionnaires. The median pregnancy duration at abortion among women during the pandemic was 65 days, compared with 51 days in the pre-pandemic group (P< 0.001). Anxiety and depression symptoms increased during the crisis (P< 0.001). Sleep disturbances were more common. Higher PSQI scores were related to increased anxiety and depression symptoms. A more negative family climate was described during the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion access was delayed and pre-abortion mental disorders increased. More attention should be paid to the mental health of women seeking abortions, and innovations should be promoted to ensure abortion services without delay.

A Study of Family Climate of Male and Female B.Ed. Teacher-Trainees of Bareilly District

Thepurpose of this study is to find out the difference of different dimensions of family climate of B.Ed. teacher-trainees in relation to their gender. Descriptive survey method was used for this study. A Sample of 160 B.Ed. teacher-trainees was selected by using random sampling technique from four B.Ed. colleges of Bareilly district. Family Climate Scale developed by Harpreet Bhatia &amp; N.K. Chadha (2019) used for data collection. Data was analyzed using Mean, S.D. and t-test. Finding reveals thatsignificant difference has been found inacceptance, independence and control dimensions of family climate of male and female B.Ed. teacher-trainees.

Family Communication About Climate Change in the United States.

Family discussions about climate change are a critical factor influencing children's climate change perceptions and behaviors. Yet, there is limited research on family communication about climate change in the US. Drawing from an online longitudinal sample, 214 parents reported on their 336 children. Descriptive statistics examined engagement in family climate change communication. Children's climate change concerns and parents' interest in engaging in conversations about climate change were assessed by the child's age. Logistic models examined how recent family climate change communication was associated with parents' perceived roles and barriers to engaging in conversations. Most parents (68%) were interested in talking to their children about climate change; of those expressing interest, only 46% reported recent communication. Parents reported that older children were more concerned about climate change than younger children (0-5 years: 21%; 6-11 years: 43%; 12-17 years: 56%), but no differences were identified in parents' interest in communicating with their children by the child's age. Recent family climate change communication was significantly associated with not knowing what to say and parents' perception that their role was to support their children in action. Study findings suggest a significant opportunity to involve families in climate change communication. Parents may benefit from training resources, especially those tailored to children's age, to help them communicate with their children about climate change. Strategies that engage parents and children in activism activities together are also needed.

Central concepts in mental health promotion programs for children and adolescents: Evidence and examples from Switzerland

Abstract Universal mental health promotion programs draw on a wide range of concepts to promote children's and adolescents’ mental health. This presentation aims to provide an overview of the central concepts from health, developmental and social psychology, psychiatry, and public health/health promotion and to illustrate their application using examples from Swiss mental health promotion programs for children and adolescents. Concepts on internal, biological, psychological and psychosocial factors such as the ten life skills that are recommended by the WHO, self-efficacy, (mental) health literacy, and the resilience literature are looked at as well as concepts on external risk and protective factors such as social support (quality of attachment and relationships, positive family climate and peer relations) and the quality of educational institutions. Evidence on their effectiveness is reported and conceptual similarities and differences as well as the underlying mechanisms of action are explored from a health behavior change perspective using the behavior change wheel. Finally, implications for the design and implementation of mental health promotion programs are discussed

The validation of culturally appropriate scales to assess the family health climate in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

BackgroundThe Family Health Climate (FHC) is a family environment attribute postulated to influence the health behaviors of family members. It can be measured by domain scales for physical activity (FHC-PA) and nutrition (FHC-NU), which have been validated and used to identify health climate patterns in families in Western populations. To extend the use of the scales to Asian settings, this study aimed to adapt and validate the instruments for use in the multi-ethnic population of Singapore, accounting for language and cultural differences.MethodsIn Part A (n = 40) to adapt the scales for the Singapore population, we performed cognitive interviews, face validity testing and pre-testing of the instruments (n = 40). Besides English, the scales were translated into Chinese and Malay. In Part B (n = 400), we performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses respectively on two random samples. We also tested for item discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and measurement invariance.ResultsThe findings from the cognitive interviews in Part A led to scale adaptations to accommodate cultural and linguistic factors. In Part B, EFA on Sample I resulted in a three-factor model for the PA scale (accounting for 71.2% variance) and a four-factor model for the NU scale (accounting for 72.8% variance). CFA on Sample II indicated acceptable model fits: FHC-PA: χ2 = 192.29, df = 101, p < 0.001, χ2/df = 1.90; SRMR = 0.049; RMSEA = 0.067; CFI = 0.969; TLI = 0.963; FHC-NU: χ2 = 170.46, df = 98, p < 0.001, χ2/df = 1.74; SRMR = 0.036; RMSEA = 0.061; CFI = 0.967; TLI = 0.960. The scores of family members demonstrated significant agreement on the FHC-PA (Sg) [ICC(2, 2) = 0.77] and FHC-NU (Sg) [ICC(2, 2) = 0.75] scales. Findings suggest good evidence for item discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and measurement invariance. Short versions of the scales were also developed.ConclusionWe adapted, translated and validated the scales for assessing the health climate of families in Singapore, including the development of short versions. The results showed good psychometric properties and the constructs had significant relationships with health behaviors and routines. Improving our understanding of family influences on individual health behavior will be important in developing multi-level strategies for health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

Childhood Anxiety - The Role of Parenting: A Review

This article intends to review the influences of parenting on the development of childhood anxiety disorders. The literature cites acceptance of anxious behaviours as a parental behaviour that mitigates childhood clinical anxiety. Alternatively, controlling parental behaviours, and modelling of controlling parental behaviours are associated with high clinical anxiety in children. Some parental climates that exaggerate a child’s psychological arousal may instill negative perceptions in the maintenance of an anxiety disorder. The article also looks into stress-mediated pathways that explain how an anxious familial climate may result in a child ‘inducing’ anxiety. Recent developmental psychopathology perspectives consider causal relationships in development, maintenance and persistence of anxiety disorders. Furthermore, the Craske model provides a real-life application of the developmental psychopathology perspective to explain the role of parenting in childhood anxiety. Current limitations and research gaps in the literature pertaining to the influences of parenting in childhood anxiety disorders are also discussed.

Adult quality of life patterns and trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

Early investigations of subjective well-being responses to the COVID-19 pandemic indicated average deterioration but also high variability related to vulnerability of population groups and pandemic phase. Thus, we aimed to gain new insights into the characteristics of certain groups and their differences in subjective well-being response patterns over time. First, we performed Latent Class Analyses with baseline survey data of 2,137 adults (mean age = 40.98, SD = 13.62) derived from the German CORONA HEALTH APP Study to identify subgroups showing similarity of a comprehensive set of 50 risk and protective factors. Next, we investigated the course of quality of life (QoL) as an indicator of subjective well-being grouped by the identified latent classes from July 2020 to July 2021 based on monthly and pandemic phase averaged follow-up survey data by means of Linear Mixed-Effects Regression Modeling. We identified 4 latent classes with distinct indicators and QoL trajectories (resilient, recovering, delayed, chronic) similar to previous evidence on responses to stressful life events. About 2 out of 5 people showed a resilient (i.e., relative stability) or recovering pattern (i.e., approaching pre-pandemic levels) over time. Absence of depressive symptoms, distress, needs or unhealthy behaviors and presence of adaptive coping, openness, good family climate and positive social experience were indicative of a resilient response pattern during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presented results add knowledge on how to adapt and enhance preparedness to future pandemic situations or similar societal crises by promoting adaptive coping, positive thinking and solidary strategies or timely low-threshold support offers.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03628-4.