Perceived Family Relationships Research Articles

Perceived family relationships and social participation through sports of urban older adults living alone: An analysis of the mediating effect of self-respect levels.

The perception of good family relationship is an important factor to promote social participation through sports of older adults living alone. This study explores the influence of perceived family relationship on sports sociability and its group differences, and then discusses the mediating effect of self-respect. Based on the survey data of 2,801 older adults living alone in Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hohhot, and Dalian, the quantitative index of their "activeness in social participation through sports" was constructed. The OLS model, the Ologit model, the instrumental variable method and the mediating effect were used to explore the influence mechanism of perceived family relationships of urban older adults living alone on their sport participation. The results demonstrate that: (1) Older adults 's activeness in sport participation in China is generally at a low level; (2) perceived family relationships have an impact on activeness in sport participation, i.e. positive family relationships will increase their activeness in sport participation, and there are evident gender differences in this tendency; (3) there are regional differences in the activeness in SPS among the older adults living alone in urban areas, and perceived family relationships in first-tier and second-tier cities have a more significant impact on their activeness in sport participation; (4) the mediating effect analysis shows that perceived family relationships can indirectly promote urban old adults' activeness in sport participation through the reconstruction of their self-respect, and this is more pronounced in women. Therefore, the important role of families cannot be ignored in promoting sport participation of the older adults.

Typology of Family Relationships, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life in Chinese Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Family relationships affect psychological adjustment and quality of life (QoL) in patients with advanced cancer. The typology of family relationships has not been examined in Chinese patients with advanced cancer. The aims of this study were to identify profiles of family relationships and examine their relationships with psychological distress and QoL in Chinese patients with advanced lung cancer. A total of 252 Chinese patients with advanced lung cancer at 2 hospitals in Shanghai participated in the study. They completed self-reported questionnaires. Latent profile analysis was used to identify the optimal classification of perceived family relationships based on 3 indicators (cohesiveness, expressiveness, and conflict resolution). Three profiles of family relationships were identified. The supportive profile (70.6%) showed high cohesiveness, expressiveness, and conflict resolution. The low-expressive profile (15.9%) showed low expressiveness but high cohesiveness and conflict resolution (15.9%). The conflictive profile (13.5%) showed low conflict resolution but high cohesiveness and expressiveness. Compared with supportive families, low-expressive and conflictive families were associated with worse depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, which could result in poorer QoL. Cohesiveness, expressiveness, and conflict resolution could be used to identify family relationship typology in Chinese patients with advanced lung cancer. Family relationship typology was associated with psychological distress and QoL. The findings indicate a need for screening families and provide culturally sensitive family interventions to effectively support families at risk of poor outcomes.

Associations of Family Meals with Adolescent Perception of Family Relationship and Compliance with Parental Guidance in Hong Kong: Results of a Representative Cross-Sectional Survey.

Family meals are beneficial for adolescent development, but evidence from Chinese populations has been limited. This study aimed to examine the associations between family meal frequency and adolescent perception of family relationship and compliance with parental guidance in Hong Kong. During the period from October to December 2016, a stratified random sample of 3359 students were recruited from 25 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Students completed questionnaires about family characteristics, relationship quality, and meal frequency by paper-and-pencil in class. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between family meal frequency and perceived family relationship and compliance with parental guidance overall and by subgroups. After adjusting for sociodemographic and school confounders, family breakfast and dinner frequency were significantly associated with adolescent compliance (breakfast: B = 0.07, p < 0.001; dinner: B 0.07, p < 0.001) and perception of family relationship (breakfast: B = 0.10, p < 0.001; dinner: B = 0.25, p < 0.001). Risk factors for infrequent family meals included older age, not born in Hong Kong, less educated fathers, and unmarried parents. Our findings support the associations of regular family meals with adolescent perception of high family bond and compliance with parental guidance. Interventions are needed to enhance quality family meal interactions in disadvantaged families.

Mental Health Status of Nepalese Students during Novel Coronavirus Disease (nCOVID-19) Pandemic

Background: Since the wave of COVID-19, human life has highly been affected due to government endorsement of containment measures to control the disease. Education system has been held back and students are one of those who are greatly affected. Thus, this study attempts to find out the mental health status of Nepalese students during novel coronavirus Disease (nCOVID-19) pandemic.&#x0D; Methodology: A web-based cross sectional descriptive study was conducted from 9 May to 29 May 2020 among students of Nepal aged 18 years and above. A structured questionnaire was adopted from DASS-21. The obtained data were entered in Epidata v.3.1. and were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive frequency, percent and mean were calculated, and chi-square test was performed for bivariate analysis.&#x0D; Results: The mean age of the study participants was 21.4±2.7 years. This study found optimal mental health status among Nepalese students. Perceived family relationship however, showed statistical significance in all three mental health parameters (p&lt;0.001); depression, anxiety and stress. Depression was found to be comparatively more in females (p&lt;0.05), and those who held Bachelor’s and above degrees have shown presence of anxiety (p&lt;0.05) and stress (p&lt;0.05) relatively than those holding below degrees.&#x0D; Conclusion: Optimal mental health status among Nepalese students was found during the nationwide lockdown. Perceived family relationship however, showed statistical significance in all three mental health parameters. This is a wake-up call for education system to focus on socio-emotional skills – empathy and solidarity in easing this pandemic crisis confronted by young learners and their families.

Social Factors Contributing to the Development of Allostatic Load in Older Adults: A Correlational- Predictive Study

Objetivo: determinar si factores sociales como las condiciones de vivienda, la satisfacción con la casa, las características del vecindario, el apoyo social, las relaciones familiares y la asistencia a la iglesia contribuyen al desarrollo de la carga alostática en los adultos mayores. Materiales y método: se realizó un estudio correlacional y predictivo de corte transversal. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron una hoja de datos sociodemográficos, el instrumento de relaciones familiares percibidas, el cuestionario de Apoyo Social y la Escala de Movilidad Activa en el Entorno Comunitario, versión corta. Los biomarcadores de carga alostática utilizados fueron: presión arterial sistólica y diastólica, índice de masa corporal, circunferencia de la cintura, relación cintura-cadera, colesterol total, lipoproteína de alta densidad, hemoglobina glicosilada, fibrinógeno y proteína C-Reactiva. La muestra se calculó para para el contraste de la hipótesis de no relación (R2 = 0), en un modelo de regresión lineal múltiple con 11 covariables, con un nivel de significancia del .05 y una potencia del 90 % (.90), cuando el coeficinete de determinación poblacional (R2) es .15, tamaño de muestra que resultó en 131 adultos mayores. El análisis estadístico incluyó medidas descriptivas y modelos lineales generalizados. Resultados: los participantes tenían un riesgo medio o alto de carga alostática. El análisis del modelo de regresión lineal multivariante mostró que las mejores condiciones de vivienda, la satisfacción con la propia casa, la presencia de calles sin salida y la asistencia a la iglesia reducen la carga alostática y que el tráfico peligroso aumenta la carga alostática. Conclusiones: existen varios factores sociales que contribuyen al desarrollo de la carga alostática en adultos mayores. Es necesario crear estrategias de cuidado de enfermería hacia el entorno social para disminuir la carga alostática en el adulto mayor.

Perceived family relationship quality and use of poly-tobacco products during early and late adolescence

BackgroundThe role of family relationship in adolescent use of emerging tobacco products, which have become increasingly popular, is unknown. We examined the associations of perceived family relationship quality with current use of poly-tobacco products including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), waterpipe and smokeless tobacco in adolescents. MethodsData from a representative sample of 42,250 US grade 7–12 equivalent students (mean ± SD age 14.6 ± 1.9 years; 51.3% boys) from 75 randomly selected secondary schools in Hong Kong (2012−13) were analysed. Logistic regressions yielded adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for current (past 30-day) use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, waterpipe, smokeless tobacco and poly-tobacco (≥2 products) in relation to perceived family relationship quality, adjusted for age, sex, perceived family affluence, parental education, family structure, parental and sibling smoking and secondhand smoke exposure at home. Subgroup analyses were conducted to compare the associations in early (aged ≤14 years) versus late (>14) adolescents. ResultsThe odds of current use increased with worse perceived family relationship quality with AORs (95% confidence interval) of up to 2.92 (2.32–3.68) for cigarettes, 7.28 (4.71–11.2) for e-cigarettes, 5.04 (3.44–7.40) for waterpipe, 8.09 (4.87–13.4) for smokeless tobacco and 5.25 (3.45–8.01) for poly-tobacco products use (all P for trend <.001). The associations for all tobacco use outcomes were stronger in early than late adolescents (all P for interaction <.001). ConclusionsDose-response relationships were found between negatively perceived family relationship quality and current poly- and individual tobacco product use by Hong Kong Chinese secondary students. The associations were stronger for alternative tobacco products and in early adolescents.

Socijalne identifikacije mladih u relaciji sa porodičnom afektivnom vezanošću i roditeljskim ponašanjima

Although there is a plethora of studies on the dynamics of social identifications, we found only a few which associate this dynamics with the perceived family relationships. This lack of knowledge has motivated us to explore the extent to which social identifications are associated with family attachment and the perception of parental behaviour. We conducted our study on a sample of 325 young people (58% females) of the Serbian ethnicity from the Republic of Srpska. The participants were secondary school students and university students (aged 16 to 25). Social identifications were measured by the question: 'To what extent is belonging to the following group important to you?', with nine target groups provided: the family, friends, ethnicity, religion, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Balkans, Europe, mankind/ humanity. In addition to the questions related to demographic variables, the battery comprised the modified, family-targeted version of the Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory scale, with the subscales of anxiety and avoidance (Kamenov & Jelic, 2003) and the questionnaire of fathers' and mothers' parental behaviour with the dimensions of parental support, restrictive control, and permissiveness (PBQ29; Kerestes, Brkovic, Jagodic & Greblo, 2012). Exploratory factor analysis of social identifications yielded a hierarchical factor structure with three lower-order factors we labelled as ethno-religious identification, global social identification and identification with primary social groups. We observed only weak correlations of the family-related variables with social identifications. In particular, we found that attachment variables (anxiety positively and avoidance negatively) could be considered as the predictors of different social identifications. We discuss our findings in light of the previous research.

Latent Growth Curve Model of Perceived Family Relationship Quality and Depressive Symptoms During Middle Adolescence in Spain

This study aimed to examine longitudinal associations between the perceived quality of family relationships and self-reported depressive symptoms during middle adolescence. A 2-year follow-up study, with three assessments at 1-year intervals, was conducted. A total of 525 Spanish adolescents completed paper-based self-report assessments, which included the 10-item Child Depression Inventory and a brief Likert-type scale to measure the quality of the relationships with their father and their mother separately. The results indicated that a decline in the quality of both adolescent–father and adolescent–mother relationships were related to an increase in depressive symptoms during middle adolescence. Furthermore, adolescent–father relationships were found to be worse for girls than for boys and were observed to be associated with gender differences in depressive symptoms after the follow-up. The results provide longitudinal evidence on the importance of parent–adolescent relationships and gender differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence.

Mediation analysis of critical time intervention for persons living with serious mental illnesses: Assessing the role of family relations in reducing psychiatric rehospitalization.

Critical Time Intervention (CTI) is a time-limited care coordination intervention designed to reduce homelessness and other adverse outcomes for persons living with serious mental illness during the transition period between institutions and community living. This study assesses whether CTI improves the quality of family relationships between family members and individuals living with serious mental illness, and examines whether changes in quality of family relationship mediated the association between the intervention and psychiatric rehospitalization outcomes. This study utilizes data from a randomized controlled trial that assessed the effect of CTI in preventing homelessness. Following discharge from inpatient psychiatric treatment in New York City, 150 previously homeless persons living with serious mental illness were randomly assigned to receive usual services only or 9 months of CTI in addition to usual services. Findings from mixed-effects regression models indicated that those assigned to the CTI group reported greater frequency of family contact and greater improvement in satisfaction with family relations than the comparison group during the 18-month follow-up period. Mediation analysis revealed that greater improvement in satisfaction with family relations mediated the effect of CTI on psychiatric rehospitalization outcome, but only at a modest level. These findings suggest that a relatively brief but targeted intervention delivered at the point of hospital discharge may contribute to strengthening family relations and that improvement in perceived family relationship quality can contribute to a reduction in psychiatric rehospitalization.

Incorporando un plan de Vida Saludable en la Terapia Familiar Conductual: Ejemplificando un Caso Clínico de una Mujer con historial de Violencia Doméstica, Negligencia Infantil, Abuso de Drogas y Obesidad

Las mujeres reportadas a las agencias de servicios de protección infantil, con frecuencia presentan problemas que interfieren con la salud y el bienestar de ellas y de sus hijos. Los programas de intervención conductual parecen ser eficaces en el manejo de problemas coexistentes como: la violencia doméstica y el abuso de drogas. Sin embargo, los tratamientos cuya eficacia ya ha sido demostrada en ocasiones anteriores, rara vez se han puesto en práctica en casos clínicos complicados, sobre todo en los centros de asistencia a menores. Por lo tanto, en este caso clínico, se describe el proceso de adaptación de un tratamiento eficaz para ayudar a controlar los problemas coexistentes de salud de una mujer acusada de negligencia infantil y abuso de drogas. Al finalizar el tratamiento, la participante informó sobre la mejoría en sus relaciones familiares, sobre su consumo de drogas y la negligencia infantil; aunque otros resultados relacionados con su salud no quedaron completamente claros. Gran parte de las mejorías se mantuvieron hasta 4 meses después de haber concluido el tratamiento. Antes de implementar cada fase del tratamiento, discutimos los contextos de la comunidad, aumentando así la probabilidad de obtener resultados positivos y respetando la integridad y el ajuste del tratamiento estándar para evitar que se presenten problemas en un futuro.Esta investigación se financió gracias a una subvención del Instituto Nacional de Drogodependencia (1R01DA020548-01A1) otorgada a Brad Donohue. Los autores desean agradecer a Sally K. Miller, PhD, APN, FAANP y Profesora Asociada de la Escuela de Enfermería de La Universidad de Nevada Las Vegas, por el examen físico inicial que se llevó a cabo en el domicilio de la participante de este proyecto.

Perceived Intrafamilial Connectedness and Autonomy in Families With and Without an Anxious Family Member: A Multiple Informant Approach

Perceived intrafamilial “emotional connectedness” and “autonomy” were investigated within families with and without an anxious family member using a multiple informant approach. The sample consisted of 32 mothers with a current anxiety disorder and 56 controls, their partners, and their anxious and nonanxious teenage children. No differences were found with respect to the perceived family relationships of family members with versus without anxious mothers. However, compared with nonanxious adolescents, anxious adolescents perceived less autonomy in relation to both parents. Mothers of anxious adolescents also perceived their children to be less autonomous toward them and their partners, than mothers of nonanxious adolescents. In contrast with “autonomy,” “emotional connectedness” was not reported to be different between families with and without an anxious adolescent. Agreement among family members and the importance of perceived individual autonomy in the development of anxiety are discussed.

Incorporating a Healthy Living Curriculum within Family Behavior Therapy: A Clinical Case Example in a Woman with a History of Domestic Violence, Child Neglect, Drug Abuse, and Obesity

Women reported to child protective service agencies frequently report problems that significantly interfere with the health and well-being of their children and themselves. Behavioral treatment programs appear to be effective in managing these co-existing problems, such as domestic violence and substance abuse. However, evidence-supported interventions are rarely exemplified in complicated clinical cases, especially within child welfare settings. Therefore, in this case example, we describe the process of adapting an evidence-supported treatment to assist in managing significant co-existing health-related problems in a mother who was referred due to child neglect and drug abuse. At the conclusion of therapy, the participant reported improvements in perceived family relationships, illicit drug use, child maltreatment potential, whereas other health-related outcomes were mixed. Most improvements were maintained at 4-month follow-up. Issues relevant to implementing evidence-based treatments within community contexts are discussed, including methods of increasing the likelihood of valid outcome assessment, managing treatment integrity, and adjusting standardized treatments to accommodate co-occurring problems.

Longitudinal associations between adolescent behaviour problems and perceived family relationships

The goal of the present study was to examine the longitudinal associations between perceived family relationships and adolescents’ externalizing/ internalizing problems. The study sample included 366 pupils from secondary schools in Latvia, 12-14 years of age, who completed self-report questionnaires. Data were collected in two assessments 1 year apart. The results indicate that elevations in adolescent problem behavior prospectively predicted subsequent decreases in perceived family cohesion and increases in family conflict. The effect of perceived family cohesion and conflict as assessed at Time1 was not statistically significant in prediction of Time2 adolescent behaviour problems.

Social phobia and perceived friendship quality

Although it is clear that people with social phobia have interpersonal impairment, evidence that social phobia (as opposed to other mental disorders) affects friendship in particular is lacking. Two large epidemiological datasets were used to test whether diagnosis of social phobia is related to perceived friendship quality above and beyond perceived family relationship quality, diagnosis of other mental disorders, and a variety of demographic variables. After Bonferroni correction, social phobia was the only diagnosis related to perceived friendship quality above and beyond other factors, such that people with social phobia reported more impaired friendship quality. Social phobia's effect was similar in magnitude to demographic characteristics in both samples. The current study demonstrates that social phobia is specifically related to perceived friendship quality, suggesting that this aspect of social phobia's effects is worthy of further study.

The association between adolescents’ depressive symptoms, maternal negative affect, and family relationships in Hong Kong: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings.

This study investigated the bidirectional relationships of adolescents' and maternal mood, and the moderating effect by gender and perceived family relationships on these relationships. Data were obtained from 626 adolescent-mother dyads and follow-up data were collected one year later from a subset. Adolescents reported their depressive symptoms, and their mothers reported their negative affect. Adolescents described their perception of family relationships. Maternal negative affect and adolescents' depressive symptoms were significantly correlated at baseline. This association was moderated by gender and family relationships. The association was stronger in mother-daughter compared to mother-son dyads. In families where relationships were reported to be poor, adolescent depressive symptoms were uniformly high, regardless of maternal negative affect. However, in families where relationships were good, maternal negative affect was associated with higher adolescents' depressive symptoms. In longitudinal analyses, adolescents' mood at baseline was found to relate to maternal negative affect at follow-up. Family relationships at baseline were also associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms at follow-up. However, there was no prediction from maternal negative affect at baseline to adolescents' depressive symptoms at follow-up. Gender and quality of family relationships did not moderate the longitudinal relationships between adolescents' depressive symptoms and maternal negative affect in either direction.

Predictors of Suicide Ideation and Depression in Hong Kong Adolescents: Perceptions of Academic and Family Climates

The unique dimensions of perceptions of school and family contributing to depression and suicide ideation in Hong Kong adolescents were examined in two studies. In Study 1, among 327 Hong Kong Chinese female students ages 13-18, 47% reported some suicide ideation. Suicide ideation was significantly associated with depression, test anxiety, academic self-concept, and adolescents' perceived parental dissatisfaction with academic performance. The correlation between test anxiety and depression was especially high (r = .51). Study 2 examined how three different aspects of perceived family relationship were associated with depression and suicide ideation. Among 371 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents ages 14-20, 52.6% reported suicide ideation. Low levels of family cohesion and support and high levels of parent-adolescent conflict were positively related to depression and suicide ideation in both genders. Across both studies, depression mediated associations between academic- and family-related variables and suicide ideation. Findings underscore the importance of both academic and family climate in understanding depression and suicide ideation among Chinese adolescents.

Incarcerated Mothers' Contact With Children, Perceived Family Relationships, and Depressive Symptoms.

Concurrent relations among contact with children, perceived family relationships, early experiences of relationship disconnection and trauma, and maternal depressive symptoms were examined in 94 incarcerated mothers with children between the ages of 2 and 7 years. Qualitative analysis revealed that most mothers experienced intense distress when initially separated from their children, although many women currently viewed the situation in a more balanced way. Quantitative findings indicated that fewer visits from children and early experiences of relationship disconnection and trauma were associated with elevated maternal depressive symptoms. Mother-child relationships were more positive when mothers had more frequent telephone contact with older children. Moreover, conflicted relationships with caregivers related to less contact between mothers and their children. Results highlight the need for mental health services for incarcerated women and suggest that interventions aimed at increasing contact between imprisoned mothers and their children should consider the quality of the mother-caregiver relationship.

Perception of parent–child relationships in high-risk families, and adult schizophrenia outcome of offspring

The current investigation examines perceived family relationships prior to the onset of psychopathology in a sample at high-risk for schizophrenia. Previous research suggests that environmental factors, such as family relationships, may contribute to later schizophrenia in high-risk individuals. This investigation extends work by Burman et al. [Burman B, Mednick SA, Machon RA, Parnas J, Schulsinger F. Children at high risk for schizophrenia: parent and offspring perceptions of family relationships. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1987;96(4):364–6] by examining high-risk subjects from a longitudinal data set who had not yet decompensated to schizophrenia at the time of the Burman study. Findings suggest that having positive relationships with both the mother and father may be protective against schizophrenia among HR children.

Stress Generation in Intact Community Families: Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Family Relationship Stress, and Implications for Adolescent Adjustment

The family stress generation process was examined, as was the role of family stress generation in adolescent adjustment. Participants were mothers ( n = 119), fathers ( n = 96), and adolescents ( n = 119) from intact, community families. Assessments were conducted at two points during adolescence, separated by one year. Mother's initial depressive symptoms generated perceived stress in both her marital and mother-adolescent relationship a year later. In turn, mother-reported family relationship stress exacerbated her depressive symptoms. Mother-reported family stress generation contributed to higher levels of depressive symptoms in both adolescent girls and boys. Although no evidence of a family stress generation process for fathers was found, father-reported family relationship stress was associated with greater adolescent depressive symptoms.

The biopsychosocial adjustment of disabled elderly: a 1-year follow-up.

The objectives of this study were to identify and compare changes in the physical, social, and structural functions and in the family relationships of elderly patients upon hospitalization in a geriatric rehabilitation unit, and 1 year after discharge to the community (in the Negev region of Israel). The study was conducted on 88 elderly people with a mean age of 74 years. The Assessment of Dependency for Long-Term Care Benefits test was used twice as the study instrument for measuring the given objectives, once during the first week following admission to the unit and once 1 year later. At the end of the year there was improvement in most activities of daily living (ADL), a decrease in social roles, an increase in the number of illnesses, greater restrictions in diet, and an increase in use of social services. Changes were observed in the structure of the family social networks, the source of the primary caregiver, and living arrangements. Changes were not observed in the perceived family relationships. In both time periods, married elderly people evaluated family relations as better than did unmarried people. However, unmarried subjects demonstrated greater improvement in physical and social functions. Also, time had a significant effect on social function. Elderly people who were ill for less than 2 months prior to admission demonstrated greater social improvement than those whose illness lasted longer.