Risk and resilience of vulnerable families in Hong Kong under the impact of COVID-19: an ecological resilience perspective

Validation of the 10-Item Social Provision Scale (SPS-10): Evaluating Factor Structure, Reliability, Measurement Invariance, and Nomological Network Across 38 Countries

The 24-item Social Provision Scale is among the most frequently used self-report scales to assess perceived social support. A shortened 10-item version (SPS-10) with promising psychometric properties has been proposed. However, so far only a few studies in specific cultural contexts investigated its psychometric properties. Thus, the aim of the current study was an extensive investigation of the psychometric properties of the SPS-10 among 38 countries (N = 88,857 respondents) using the COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey data. Item response theory bifactor analysis revealed that the general factor accounts for the largest part of the covariance among the items in all countries (explained common variance ≥ .75) and that the mean/sum score of the SPS-10 can be used as a total score of perceived general social support. Reliability was high for all countries (ρunidimensional GRM ≥ .89). Measurement invariance and differential item/test functioning analysis of the unidimensional graded response model indicated negligible differential test functioning across countries. The association with the external criteria mainly supported its construct validity. The SPS-10 is a psychometrically sound measure of perceived social support for large-scale cross-cultural studies.

Spiritual Health and Psychological Distress Among Hong Kong Community Lay Leaders

Community lay leaders are critical in connecting professional services and general populations in communities. However, limited studies have explored the potential protective factors for psychological health among this group of people. In addition, based on the complex nature of spiritual health, the inconsistent findings of previous studies also suggested that different domains of spiritual health may shape psychological health differently in different contexts and among different socio-demographic groups. Therefore, we assessed the psychological health of Hong Kong community lay leaders after COVID-19 and examined the effects of different domains of spiritual health on psychological distress after controlling for age and gender. Cross-sectional data from 234 Hong Kong community lay leaders aged 18 to 84 were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that most Hong Kong community lay leaders reported moderate anxiety. In addition, personal and communal (one domain) and transcendental domains of spiritual health were negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, and the environmental domain of spiritual health was positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. These findings imply the importance of considering both the positive and negative effects of spiritual health on psychological distress.

Association between children's home-schooling and parental psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan: Risk and protective factors in a multilevel approach

BACKGROUND

The role home-schooling of children in parental mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the association between parental psychological distress and home-schooling in a socio-ecological context during the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study. In total, 902 parents (father: n = 206, mother: n = 696) who home-schooled children under 18 years of age were recruited by purposive sampling from 17 cities in Taiwan. Data were collected between 19 July and 30 September 2021 through a survey. Multilevel regression models were used to examine the association between parents' psychological distress and home-schooling considering the characteristics at the person and city levels.

RESULTS

Parental psychological distress was positively associated with difficulty in setting up electronic devices and increased disputes between parents and children, and it was negatively associated with time management and increased time spent bonding with their children during home-schooling (Ps < 0.05). Parents who had a child with health conditions, lived in an extended family, worked from home, lived during the Level 3 alert level, and lived with a median/sporadic level of the COVID-19 community spread by city also reported greater psychological distress (Ps < 0.05). However, parents who had greater household family support reported less psychological distress (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians and policy makers must carefully consider parental mental health while home-schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic in a broader socio-ecological context. A focus is advised on the home-schooling experiences of parents and other risk and protective factors for parental psychological distress at the person and city levels, especially for those with children who require medical interventions and have a medical condition.

Socio-economic outcomes of COVID-19 on the marginalised: Who have taken the hardest hit?

This article aims to examine the socioeconomic outcomes of COVID-19 for socially marginalised people who are clients of social care organisations (e.g. people experiencing homelessness), and the factors influencing these outcomes. We tested the role of individual and socio-structural variables in determining socioeconomic outcomes based on a cross-sectional survey with 273 participants from eight European countries and 32 interviews and five workshops with managers and staff of social care organisations in ten European countries. 39% of the respondents agreed that the pandemic has had a negative effect on their income and access to shelter and food. The most common negative socio-economic outcome of the pandemic was loss of work (65% of respondents). According to multivariate regression analysis, variables such as being of a young age, being an immigrant/asylum seeker or residing in the country without documentation, living in your own home, and having (in)formal paid work as the main source of income are related to negative socio-economic outcomes following the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as individual psychological resilience and receiving social benefits as the main source of income tend to "protect" respondents from negative impacts. Qualitative results indicate that care organisations have been an important source of economic and psycho-social support, particularly significant in times of a huge surge in demand for services during the long-term crises of pandemic.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the 10-Item Social Provisions Scale in Chinese Populations

This study performed a cross-cultural validation of the Chinese version of the 10-item Social Provisions Scale (C-SPS-10) in Chinese populations. Study 1 examined the factor structure, internal reliability, discrimination, criterion validity, and network structure of C-SPS-10 by utilizing a sample of disaster victims in the 2021 Henan floods. Study 2 substantiated the findings of Study 1 in a general population sample. Measurement invariances between populations and between sexes in terms of the C-SPS-10 were also tested using the network approach. Study 3 used three samples to examine the test-retest reliability of the C-SPS-10 over three different time periods. The general results showed that the C-SPS-10 has excellent factor structure, internal reliability, discrimination, and criterion validity. The C-SPS-10 was confirmed to have good psychometric properties. Although the full scale functions well, problems may exist at a domain level. Moreover, the full scale of the C-SPS-10 was varied as a useful tool to capture trait-like characteristics of individuals' perceptions of social support for the general population.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10862-023-10047-7.

The Moderating Role of Family Resilience on the Relationship between COVID-19-Related Psychological Distress and Mental Health among Caregivers of Individuals with Eating Disorders in Post-Pandemic China

COVID-19 has amplified long-standing emotional distress for vulnerable families. While abundant research highlights the importance of resilience under adverse circumstances, little has been undertaken to understand its effectiveness in helping caregivers of individuals with eating disorders (ED) navigate pandemic-related challenges. This paper presents findings of a cross-sectional study investigating the effects of COVID-19-related life disruptions (COLD) and COVID-19-related psychological distress (CORPD) on caregivers' depression, anxiety and stress, as well as the moderation role of individual resilience (IR) and family resilience (FR) during the post-pandemic period in China. A total of 201 caregivers of individuals experiencing ED participated in our online survey from May 2022 to June 2022. The association between pandemic-related stressors (i.e., COLD and CORPD) and mental health conditions were confirmed. FR moderated the relationship between CORPD and mental health outcomes, while IR independently contributed to low emotional distress. We call for intervention programs strengthening caregivers' FR and IR, which might benefit both patients and caregivers' well-being in the post-pandemic period.

COVID-19 lockdown impact on familial relationships and mental health in a large representative sample of Italian adults

PURPOSE

Benefits of national-level stay-at-home order imposed in Italy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission need to be carefully weighed against its impact on citizens' health. In a country with a strong familial culture and where welfare relies on households, confinement drastically decreased support provided by elder relatives, which may have resulted in mental health worsening.

METHODS

A web-based cross-sectional study (LOST in Italy) was conducted on a representative sample of Italian adults during lockdown (27th of April-3rd of May 2020). We asked 3156 subjects to report on reduced help in housework and childcare from retired parents to assess the impact of confinement on mental health, through validated scales before and during lockdown.

RESULTS

Overall, 1484 (47.0%) subjects reported reduced housework help from parents, and 769 (64.0%, of the 1202 subjects with children) diminished babysitting support. Subjects reporting reduced housework help had worsened sleep quality (multivariate odds ratio, OR = 1.74, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.49-2.03) and quantity (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.28-1.76), depressive (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.14-1.53) and anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.32-1.78), compared to those reporting unreduced help. Worsening in sleep quality (OR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.76-3.05), and quantity (OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.36-2.37), depressive (OR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.39-2.31) and anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.48-2.46) was also associated with reduced babysitting help. Mental health outcomes were worse in subjects with poorer housing and teleworking during lockdown.

CONCLUSION

Confinement came along with reduced familial support from parents, negatively impacting household members' mental health. Our findings might inform evidence-based family and welfare policies to promote population health within and beyond pandemic times.

Family functioning under COVID-19: An ecological perspective of family resilience of Hong Kong Chinese families

This study tested an ecological model of resilience that illustrated the influence of COVID-19-related stressors (i.e., social and health stressors) and various socio-ecological factors at microsystem (i.e., parent-child conflicts and couple relationship) and exo-system levels (i.e., the utilization of community resources) on family functioning among Chinese families during COVID-19. An anonymous telephone survey was conducted using random sampling method. The sample contained 322 respondents who were co-habiting with their child(ren) and their partner. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to examine the differential impacts of various levels of factors and the model that were proposed. Results showed that 13.2% of the households were categorized as at-risk of poorer family functioning. Couple relationship and stressors significantly accounted for much of the variance in family functioning. While stressors had a significant direct effect on family functioning, couple relationship, but not parent-child conflicts or utilization of community resources, significantly mediated and moderated the impact of stressors on family functioning. The findings highlighted the impacts of both individual and ecological factors on family functioning under COVID-19. Importantly, cultural and contextual factors should be considered when adopting ecological model of resilience to examine family functioning in diverse cultural groups.

COVID-19 Daily Realities for Families: A South African Sample

The COVID-19 pandemic affected families globally. Empirical research has been explored to understand the impact of COVID-19 on families across countries, however, there are limited findings of how COVID-19 has affected the daily realities of families in South Africa. This study used an exploratory qualitative research approach to explore the experiences of COVID-19 for South African families. Findings suggest that the negative outcomes of COVID-19 experienced by South African families included a shift in the daily routines, restrictions on family events, lack of socialization and loss of connections, family conflicts, financial constraints as well as psychological impacts. On the contrary, the positive outcomes included increased family time and communication, cleanliness, and good health status, and improved financial management. Implications for future research should include research focused on the health impacts of COVID-19 on diverse family structures, family compositions, and family dynamics. In-depth research and findings can assist in developing policies and interventions for families.