Understanding adolescents' perceived social responsibility: The role of family cohesion, interdependent self-construal, and social trust

Family Functioning and Community Resilience During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period in Turkey

The COVID-19 outbreak has left families with many adverse effects that can disrupt functioning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between family functioning and community resilience during the COVID-19 lockdown. An online survey was conducted with community-dwelling adult people (n= 411) based on quantitative descriptive-correlational research. According to the results, families show dysfunctional trends during the COVID-19 outbreak (%56), especially in affective involvement, problem-solving, and behavior control categories. Community resilience was positively associated with family functioning. Also, income dissatisfaction, use of social services, and social trust were determined as predictors of family functioning in the COVID-19 lockdown. Further research and social work practices in public health to address the family system as a whole should be evaluated and interventions aiming at community resilience should be designed to increase families' functioning during the pandemics.

The Mechanism of Cumulative Ecological Risk Affecting College Students' Sense of Social Responsibility: The Double Fugue Effect of Belief in a Just World and Empathy

According to bioecological theory, the development of college students' social responsibility is affected by the cumulative effect of ecological risks. However, research on the impact of cumulative ecological risk on social responsibility and its potential mechanisms are still lacking. Carol Gilligan (1982) proposed that the ethics of care and justice are like two related but independent melodies, which together constitute the whole of moral psychology. However, despite being an important part of moral psychology, social responsibility has rarely been investigated empirically with regards to the psychological mechanisms of justice and caring orientation. Therefore, the current study had 1607 college students complete questionnaires regarding cumulative ecological risk, social responsibility, belief in a just world, and empathy, aiming to explore the impact of cumulative ecological risk on college students' sense of social responsibility and the mediating roles of belief in a just world and empathy. Results showed that: (1) cumulative ecological risk was significantly negatively correlated with college students' sense of social responsibility, belief in a just world, and empathy, whereas social responsibility, belief in a just world, and empathy were significantly positively correlated; (2) belief in a just world and empathy played mediating roles in the relationship between cumulative ecological risk and social responsibility. The results also showed that the development of college students' sense of social responsibility was affected by the cumulative ecological risk from various directions; this influence was also seen to play a role in the motivation system of social responsibility through the ethics of care with empathy as the important part, as well as through the ethics of justice. The results suggest that we should reduce the ecological risks at their source, and improve and consolidate students' social support systems; moreover, we should not only enhance college students' sense of mission and responsibility to consciously maintain social justice order, but also adopt empathy training as a part of the curriculum to improve students' empathy at the individual level.

Reciprocal Influences among Marital Relationship, Parent-Adolescent Relationship, and Youth Depressive Symptoms

OBJECTIVE

Drawing on family systems framework, this study investigated the reciprocal prospective associations between marital relationship quality, parent-adolescent closeness and conflict, and adolescent depressive symptoms among families in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND

The family systems theory posits reciprocity between family subsystems. However, the direction of influences between marital relationship quality, parent-adolescent relationship quality and adolescent well-being may be more unidirectional in Chinese societies due to hierarchical family values.

METHOD

Data were from a longitudinal survey of 2,292 parent-youth dyads in the Taiwan Youth Project. Cross-lagged path models were used to test the bidirectional associations between marital relationship quality, parent-adolescent closeness and conflict, and adolescent depressive symptoms from ages 12 to 18.

RESULTS

Our primary hypothesis that marital relationship quality predicts parent-adolescent relationship quality, which then predicts adolescent depressive symptoms in a unidirectional manner was partially substantiated. Moreover, marital relationship quality directly predicted fewer depressive symptoms from middle to late adolescence and indirectly from early to late adolescence via parent-adolescent relationship quality in middle adolescence. We also found that child depressive symptoms predicted less parent-adolescent closeness, and more conflicts which predicted poorer marital relationship quality, particularly in early adolescence.

CONCLUSION

Extending the family systems theory, findings suggest that marital relationship quality plays a dominant role in the health and well-being of Taiwanese families, especially as adolescents mature. Results highlight the importance of testing theories in families from diverse cultures.

The interplay of family cohesion, self-stigma, and suicidal ideation in people of color with psychotic spectrum disorders

Individuals with psychotic spectrum disorders (PSDs) are at an increased risk for suicide compared to the general population. Both individuals with PSDs and communities of color are known to experience a high degree of mental health stigma. People of color also have strong family values that emphasize familial obligations and unity. The current study examined relationships between family cohesion, mental health self-stigma, and suicidal ideation among people of color with PSDs. The study sample consisted of 95 people of color with a PSD [Age in years: M = 38.27, SD=11.99; 65.3% male; 62.1% Latinx, 34.7% Black, 3.2% Other/Mixed]. Measures used were the suicidal ideation item from the BPRS interview, family cohesion subscale from the family environment scale, and three items asking participants about shame, guilt, or embarrassment experienced related to their PSD. In general, family cohesion was associated with less suicidal ideation, even when controlling for gender, education, and self-stigma. When examining conditional effects, family cohesion was associated with decreased suicidal ideation only when self-stigma was at or below the mean level observed. Additionally, self-stigma was associated with increased suicidal ideation only when family cohesion was above the mean level observed. Considering interactions between suicide risk and protective factors is paramount, as roles may shift.