Perceived family adaptability and cohesion and depressive symptoms: A comparison of adolescents and parents during COVID-19 pandemic

The relationship between psychological resilience and hair cortisol in adolescents: The influence of family and school environments

Psychological resilience plays a crucial role in protecting individuals from mental health issues in the face of adverse life events. However, the neurobiological mechanisms through which resilience functions as a protective factor against mental disorders remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the neuroendocrinological mechanisms underlying psychological resilience by examining the relationship between endogenous cortisol and resilience in Chinese adolescents. Additionally, the study explores whether this relationship is moderated by parenting style, family cohesion and adaptability, school climate, and life events. A total of 270 adolescent students (mean age: 12.83 ± 0.60 years; 112 boys, 158 girls) were randomly recruited from a middle school in Jiangsu Province, China. Hair cortisol, a biomarker of chronic endogenous cortisol, was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Resilience was assessed using a scale validated for Chinese adolescent populations, while family and school environmental factors were evaluated using questionnaires. The results showed significant negative correlations between hair cortisol levels and resilience, individual power, goal planning, family support, and positive thinking. However, no significant correlations were found between hair cortisol levels and parenting style, family cohesion and adaptability, school climate, or life events. Importantly, the associations between hair cortisol levels and resilience were stable and not significantly influenced by family or school environmental factors. In conclusion, adolescents with higher psychological resilience, greater individual power, better goal planning, stronger family support, and more positive thinking exhibited lower chronic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. These associations remained stable and were not significantly affected by family or school environments.

Associations Among Family Strengths, Depression and Life Satisfaction Between Disabled Children and Their Parent Caregivers: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model

AIM

To explore the actor-partner effect and mediating role of depression on family strength and life satisfaction among children with disabilities and their parent-caregiver dyads.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study using secondary data collected from the 2020 (third) Korea Disability and Life Dynamics Panel.

METHODS

This study included 434 Korean dyads of children with disabilities and their parent caregivers. A dyadic analysis was performed using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

RESULTS

The findings showed significant indirect actor effects of family strength on life satisfaction through depression for children with disabilities and their parent caregivers. The direct partner effects of one's family strengths on a partner's life satisfaction were statistically significant only for children. Additionally, significant indirect partner effects were observed in the association between parents' family strengths and children's life satisfaction through their own and their children's depression. The findings indicated that the life satisfaction of children with disabilities was more likely to be affected by their parent caregivers' perceived family strengths and depression.

CONCLUSION

It is significant for health professionals to acknowledge the mediating and cross-over pathways linking family strengths to life satisfaction through depression and, thus, focus on family-based strategies to enhance life satisfaction among children with disabilities and their parent caregivers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

This study highlights the need for family-oriented mental health interventions and education to promote life satisfaction among children with disabilities and their parent caregivers.

IMPACT

Basic data were provided for establishing efficient healthcare education and counselling protocols and integrated family intervention programmes that can contribute to improving life satisfaction through the reduction of depression by strengthening the family strengths of disabled children-parent caregivers dyads. In future, studies should explore dyadic interdependence among children with disabilities and their parent caregivers.

REPORTING METHOD

STROBE guidelines were followed for this study.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No public or patient contribution was required for this study.

How Does Parents' Psychopathology Associate with Parent-Adolescent Communication Related and Unrelated to Sex?

Research has highlighted parent-adolescent communication as a potential protective factor associated with a decreased likelihood of adolescents engaging in risky behavior. In the present study, the link between parents' psychopathology and parent-adolescent communication quality (related and unrelated to sex) was examined, while taking into consideration the mediating effects of family-cohesion, family-adaptability, and perceived family-support. A sample of 275 Israeli parent-adolescent dyads - mother (Mage = 45.48, SD = 5.45); father (Mage = 48.06, SD = 7.30); and adolescent (Mage = 16.23, SD = 1.18) - completed a set of questionnaires, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the responses. The findings revealed that higher maternal-psychopathology was linked to lower family-cohesion, which in turn was linked to lower perceived family-support and to lower parent-adolescent communication (related and unrelated to sex). Higher paternal-psychopathology was linked to lower family-adaptability, which in turn was linked to lower parent-adolescent communication (unrelated to sex). The findings of this study highlight the need to consider both family functioning and perceived family support in order to understand the influence of parents' psychopathology on parent-adolescent communication quality.

Trajectories of Chinese adolescent depression before and after COVID-19: A cross-temporal meta-analysis with segmented regression

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on adolescent mental health, particularly in China. However, there is a lack of research examining the trends in depressive symptom levels among Chinese adolescents before and after the pandemic. This study aims to investigate the changes in depressive symptom levels among Chinese adolescents pre- and post-pandemic and to identify the factors influencing these changes.

METHODS

English-language databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and Wiley) and Chinese-language databases (CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang) were searched for relevant studies. A total of 90 articles (91 studies) were included in the cross-temporal meta-analysis (N = 473,781), all of which used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. The data for these studies were collected over the period from 2010 to 2023.

RESULTS

Findings indicated that: (1) From 2010 to 2020, year was not a significant predictor of adolescent depressive symptom levels, whereas from 2021 to 2023, year became a significant positive predictor. (2) From 2010 to 2020, females exhibited a more pronounced decrease in depressive symptom levels compared to males; however, from 2021 to 2023, gender differences were not significant. (3) From 2010 to 2020, previous social connectedness, including family size three years prior, divorce rate one year prior, and urbanization level three years prior, significantly and negatively predicted the current year's adolescent depressive symptom levels; however, from 2021 to 2023, the predictive effect of all social indicators was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

This study enhances the understanding of the mechanisms underlying depression among Chinese adolescents and provides a foundation for decision-making in prevention and intervention strategies.

Family Resources and Parental Problem‐Solving Skills Mediate Family Functioning and Family Adaptation in Families of Children With Cancer

Aims

To explore the mediating roles of family resources (at the individual [parental self‐efficacy], family [family resilience] and social level [social support]) and parental problem‐solving skills in the association between family functioning and family adaptation in families of children with cancer.

Design

A cross‐sectional study.

Methods

This study recruited 318 parents of children with cancer from three tertiary hospitals in mainland China. Self‐report questionnaires were used to collect data on key variables, including family functioning, parental self‐efficacy, family resilience, social support, parental problem‐solving skills and family adaptation. Data analyses were carried out using descriptive analysis, univariate analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, hierarchical linear regression and bootstrapping.

Results

Family functioning was significantly and positively correlated with family adaptation. Family resources (parental self‐efficacy at the individual level, family resilience at the family level or social support at the social level) and parental problem‐solving skills both independently mediated the relationship between family functioning and family adaptation. Additionally, family resources at all three levels mediated the relationship through their effects on cumulatively parental problem‐solving skills, constructing a chain mediating model.

Conclusions

The study underscores the significance of family functioning, family resources at the individual, family and social levels and parental problem‐solving skills in promoting adaptation in families of children with cancer. It highlights the need for family‐centred interventions targeted at these factors to improve family adaptation.

Impact

This study extended related theories and previous studies to confirm the mediating role of family resources and parental problem‐solving skills, both independently and sequentially. Moreover, parental problem‐solving skills were confirmed as key elements that can be incorporated into future interventions, suggesting that problem‐solving skills training may serve as a highly promising program for families of children with cancer.

Reporting Method

This study was reported according to the STROBE checklist.

Patient or Public Contribution

No Patient or Public Contribution.

Factors linked to prognosis in children with provisional tic disorder: a prospective cohort study

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the factors linked to the prognosis of children with provisional tic disorder (PTD). We conducted a prospective cohort study enrolled children with PTD who were subsequently followed-up at three-month intervals for 1 year post-enrolment. A total of 259 PTD patients were included in the final analysis. At the end of the follow-up period, 77 (30%) of the patients had achieved clinical remission. Result of the LASSO logistic regression analysis revealed that a disease duration >3 months (OR=4.20, 95% CI 1.20-14.73), moderate/severe tic severity (OR=5.57, 95% CI 2.26-13.76), and comorbid behavioral problems (OR=2.78, 95% CI 1.15-6.69) were significant factors linked to remission in the PTD patients. The path analysis model showed that comorbid behavioral problems and recurrence partially mediated the association between tic severity and remission, with a mediating effect of 37%. Conclusions: We have identified several significant factors linked to prognosis in children with PTD, including comorbid behavioral problems and recurrence, which were found to be important mediators. These findings provide new insights for the clinical management of patients with PTD.

Emotion dysregulation and family functioning moderate family caregiving burden during the pandemic

OBJECTIVES

Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, additional risk factors affecting family caregivers' mental health have arisen. Therefore, personal stress coping strategies and family dynamics became important factors in reducing the impact of the pandemic on family caregivers' mental health. The present research aimed to estimate the association between COVID-19 stressors and family caregiving burden. Moreover, moderating effects of emotion dysregulation and family functioning on this association were investigated.

METHODS

This study analyzed data collected in April 2021 from 154 family caregivers (Mage = 38.79, SDage = 9.36, range = 22-64) recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The impact of COVID-19 stressors on family caregiving burden was tested, and moderating impacts of emotion dysregulation and family functioning were also investigated.

RESULTS

Both COVID-19 stress exposure and stress appraisal were positively associated with family caregiving burden. Emotion dysregulation and problematic family functioning were also positively associated with family caregiving burden. A significant moderating effect of emotion dysregulation was found, such that family caregivers with higher emotion dysregulation were likely to feel more caregiving burden when they experienced more COVID-19 stressors.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The current research highlighted the role of emotion regulation in reducing the negative impact of COVID-19 stressors on family caregiving burden. The research also emphasizes the need for intervention programs to improve emotion regulation strategies to decrease family caregiving burden during the pandemic.

The longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' internalizing symptoms, substance use, and digital media use

The present study examined the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent internalizing symptoms, substance use, and digital media use before and during the pandemic. A nationally representative longitudinal cohort of 3718 Israeli adolescents aged 12-16 at baseline completed measures of internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, and somatization), the prevalence of substance use (i.e., previous 30-day use of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis), and average daily use of internet/television, video games, and social media. Social support and daily routines were assessed as potential protective factors for mental health. Data were collected in 10 public schools at four measurement points: before the Covid-19 outbreak (September 2019), after the first wave lockdown (May 2020), after the third wave lockdown (May 2021), and after the fifth wave of the pandemic (May 2022). Multi-level mixed models were used to analyze the longitudinal data. The results showed significant increases in internalizing symptoms, substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis), and daily screen time from the start of the study to the 33-month follow-up. Social support and daily routines moderated the increases in internalizing symptoms and digital media use. These findings highlight the need for public and educational mental health services to address the continuing impact of the pandemic on adolescents.

Protective factors for children with autism spectrum disorder during COVID-19-related strict lockdowns: a Shanghai autism early developmental cohort study

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 lockdowns increased the risk of mental health problems, especially for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, despite its importance, little is known about the protective factors for ASD children during the lockdowns.

METHODS

Based on the Shanghai Autism Early Developmental Cohort, 188 ASD children with two visits before and after the strict Omicron lockdown were included; 85 children were lockdown-free, while 52 and 51 children were under the longer and the shorter durations of strict lockdown, respectively. We tested the association of the lockdown group with the clinical improvement and also the modulation effects of parent/family-related factors on this association by linear regression/mixed-effect models. Within the social brain structures, we examined the voxel-wise interaction between the grey matter volume and the identified modulation effects.

RESULTS

Compared with the lockdown-free group, the ASD children experienced the longer duration of strict lockdown had less clinical improvement (β = 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.19-0.79], p = 0.001) and this difference was greatest for social cognition (2.62 [0.94-4.30], p = 0.002). We found that this association was modulated by parental agreeableness in a protective way (-0.11 [-0.17 to -0.05], p = 0.002). This protective effect was enhanced in the ASD children with larger grey matter volumes in the brain's mentalizing network, including the temporal pole, the medial superior frontal gyrus, and the superior temporal gyrus.

CONCLUSIONS

This longitudinal neuroimaging cohort study identified that the parental agreeableness interacting with the ASD children's social brain development reduced the negative impact on clinical symptoms during the strict lockdown.

The association between family adaptability and adolescent depression: the chain mediating role of social support and self-efficacy

Objective

Previous research has shown a correlation between family adaptability and adolescent depression. However, there is a lack of studies that have investigated the underlying mechanism between family adaptability and adolescent depression. Based on the Ecological Systems Theory, this study aims to investigate the link between family adaptability and depression in adolescents, mediated by the sequential roles of social support and self-efficacy.

Methods

The sample consisted of 1086 students randomly selected from seven public middle schools in Shandong Province, Eastern China. All the participants filled in the structured self-report questionnaires on family adaptability, social support, self-efficacy, and depression. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in AMOS 24.0.

Results

The findings of this study are as follows: (1) Family adaptability is negatively associated with adolescent depression; (2) Social support plays a mediating role between family adaptability and adolescent depression; (3) Self-efficacy plays a mediating role between family adaptability and adolescent depression; (4) Social support and self-efficacy play a chain mediation role between family adaptability and adolescent depression.

Conclusion

It is suggested that early interventions and support should be provided to facilitate adolescents' family adaptability, social support, and self-efficacy, thus reducing their depression and improving mental health of adolescents.

Family Functioning, Maternal Depression, and Adolescent Cognitive Flexibility and Its Associations with Adolescent Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

This study explores family functioning and its associations with adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD), comparing its dynamics with healthy counterparts. Family functioning (cohesion, flexibility, communication, and satisfaction), maternal depressive symptoms, postpartum depression history, parental divorce, parental alcohol abuse, and the adolescents' cognitive flexibility, are examined. The research incorporates the perspectives of both adolescents and mothers.

METHODS

The sample includes 63 mother-teenager dyads in the clinical group and 43 in the control group. Instruments encompass the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES IV), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI-2), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test, and structured interviews.

RESULTS

Families of adolescents with MDD exhibit lower flexibility, cohesion, communication, and overall satisfaction. Depressed adolescents display reduced cognitive flexibility. Discrepancies were observed between adolescents' and mothers' perspectives as associated with adolescents' MDD. Teenagers emphasized the severity of maternal depressive symptoms, while mothers highlighted the importance of family cohesion and flexibility.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasizes a holistic strategy in addressing adolescent depression, including family-based assessment and therapy. Screening for maternal depressive symptoms is identified as valuable. Cognitive flexibility also needs to be addressed during therapy for depression in adolescence.

Time Balance and Family Functioning: The Role of Time Perspective in the Cohesion and Adaptability of Families with Adolescents

Family functioning, understood as cohesion and adaptability, is critical in families with adolescent children, given the changes that this stage implies at the family level. Time perspective is one variable that can facilitate better family functioning through the way people give meaning to the process they live. In this study, we examined the relationship between family functioning and the time perspective of adolescent children's parents. The FACES IV and ZTPI were administered to 276 parents of adolescents. Regression analyses indicated that the past positive, past negative, and future scores predicted family cohesion and adaptability, explaining at least 20% of the variance. Balanced families, with greater cohesion and adaptability, presented a higher level of past positive and future-oriented temporal perspectives, compared to unbalanced families, which presented a greater orientation to the past negative and deviated from the balanced temporal profile. The importance of considering the inter-relationship between family functioning and time perspective was discussed, considering its impact on the health and well-being of families with adolescents.

Adolescent Loneliness and Negative Affect during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Extraversion and Neuroticism

The COVID-19 pandemic had varied but significant effects on the lives of adolescents. This study aimed to examine the effects of extraversion and neuroticism on changes in loneliness and negative affect among adolescents during the pandemic. Longitudinal data were collected in three waves from 673 German adolescents and young adults (Mage = 16.8 years, SDage = 0.91; female = 59%), affected by local lockdowns. The data collection was one time before (T1) and two times during the pandemic (T2, T3). Change score models were used to assess the relationship between loneliness and negative affect with consideration of extraversion and neuroticism. Results showed that pre-pandemic loneliness was predictive of changes in negative affect during the pandemic, with higher loneliness predicting increases in negative affect. Negative affect did not predict later loneliness. Extraverts showed an increase in negative affect over time, particularly between pre-pandemic measurement and the first phase of the pandemic. Higher neuroticism appeared to have increased vulnerability for negative affect during the pandemic, as a rise in negative affect were found among these adolescents throughout the course of the pandemic. In conclusion, the study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents and suggests that managing the pandemic during this specific developmental period is a challenge.

Factors influencing parent-child relationships in chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

With the development of the social economy, the effective coordination of the conflict between work and family has become an urgent problem for most parents. Such conflicts are especially acute in the families of nurses with children. Therefore, a timely understanding of the status quo of the parent-child relationship and associated risk factors among nurses will assist in improving their family harmony and the healthy growth of their children.

METHODS

A total of 350 nurses with children at a general tertiary hospital in Sichuan Province, China, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire between June 23 and July 9, 2022. The results were analyzed by multiple linear regression using the stepwise method.

RESULTS

The results showed that the parent-child relationship received a middle-level mean score of 77.74 (SD = 10.77). The factors that influenced the parent-child relationship among nurses included the parents' character type (β = 0.143, P = 0.002), feeling tired due to dealing with patients (β=-0.150, P = 0.002), the nurse-patient relationship (β = 0.137, P = 0.004), the age of older children (β=-0.153, P = 0.001), number of children (β=-0.093, P = 0.041), sleep quality (β = 0.116, P = 0.014), and family adaptability (β = 0.308, P = 0.000); these factors accounted for 31.3% of the variance in parent-child relationships among nurses.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study will help policy makers and nursing managers to better understand parent-child relationships in Chinese nurses. The results highlighted the importance of the creation of a family-oriented work environment while paying more attention to the parent-child relationships of nurses who are introverted and have more or older children. After busy workdays, nurses should also be encouraged to participate more in family decision-making and strategic parent-child interactions to avoid negative effects on children caused by work-related emotional exhaustion, physical and mental fatigue, and other reasons. The development of good parent-child relationships may help maintain both their and their children's mental health while enhancing their enthusiasm for work and their professional identity.

Family cohesion and adaptability reduces mobile phone addiction: the mediating and moderating roles of automatic thoughts and peer attachment

With the popularity of mobile Internet devices, the incidence of mobile phone addiction has been increasing, which has aroused the concern of all sectors of society. Due to the difficulty of eliminating the risk factors of mobile phone addiction, it's significant for researchers to examine the function and underlying mechanisms of positive environmental factors in reducing individuals' mobile phone addiction. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between family cohesion and adaptability and mobile phone addiction among university students and analyzed the mediating role of automatic thoughts as well as the moderating role of peer attachment in this link. The sample consisted of 958 Chinese university students. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing family cohesion and adaptability, mobile phone addiction, automatic thoughts, and peer attachment. PROCESS model 8 was significant (the total effect model (F (5, 952) = 19.64, R² = 0.09, p < 0.001)). Results indicated that family cohesion and adaptability could not only negatively predict mobile phone addiction directly, but also indirectly through the mediating effect of automatic thoughts. Moreover, both the direct association between family cohesion and adaptability and mobile phone addiction as well as the indirect effect of automatic thoughts were moderated by peer attachment. Findings emphasized the beneficial role of peer attachment on the effect of family cohesion and adaptability on automatic thoughts and mobile phone addiction.

Mental Health Is a Family Affair-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Associations between Mental Health Problems in Parents and Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

As a multidimensional and universal stressor, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the mental health of children, adolescents, and adults worldwide. In particular, families faced numerous restrictions and challenges. From the literature, it is well known that parental mental health problems and child mental health outcomes are associated. Hence, this review aims to summarize the current research on the associations of parental mental health symptoms and child mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a systematic literature search in Web of Science (all databases) and identified 431 records, of which 83 articles with data of over 80,000 families were included in 38 meta-analyses. A total of 25 meta-analyses resulted in significant small to medium associations between parental mental health symptoms and child mental health outcomes (r = 0.19 to 0.46, p < 0.05). The largest effects were observed for the associations of parenting stress and child mental health outcomes. A dysfunctional parent-child interaction has been identified as a key mechanism for the transmission of mental disorders. Thus, specific parenting interventions are needed to foster healthy parent-child interactions, to promote the mental health of families, and to reduce the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence of mental health symptoms in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying infection control measures introduced sudden and significant disruptions to the lives of children and adolescents around the world. Given the potential for negative impacts on the mental health of youths as a result of these changes, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances in children and adolescents during the pandemic. We searched major literature databases for relevant cross-sectional or longitudinal studies that included primary and secondary school students or children and adolescents ≤18 years of age. Prevalence values were extracted, logit-transformed, and pooled. Based on 191 included studies with 1,389,447 children and adolescents, we found the pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances to be 31%, 31%, and 42%, respectively. Age, grade levels, education levels, gender, geographical regions, and electronics use were correlated with the prevalence of mental health symptoms. The prevalence of mental health symptoms also increased with time, although signs of recovery and stabilization were also observed. Overall, the results from this review demonstrate the need for increased mental health research, monitoring, and intervention for children and adolescents during the current and future pandemics.

Influence of family function on social anxiety among Chinese nursing students: The mediating role of alexithymia

AIMS

This study aims to explore the relationship between family function, alexithymia and social anxiety among Chinese nursing students, especially to determine whether alexithymia acts as a mediator between family function and social anxiety among this social group.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

From January to March 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 204 Chinese nursing students at a nursing school of a medical university in the Northeastern Region of China. The interaction anxiousness scale, APGAR family function scale and Tronto alexithymia scale were used for measurement of social anxiety, perceived family function and alexithymia respectively. The data were subjected to correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and structural equation modelling (SEM).

RESULTS

Results indicated that social anxiety score was negatively correlated with perceived family function (r = -.232), but positively with alexithymia (r = .307). After controlling for demographic variables, family function and alexithymia could explain 14.5% of the total variance in social anxiety. The SEM results suggested that the effect of family function on social anxiety was partially mediated by alexithymia with a 36.9% mediating effect.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals that alexithymia might partially mediate the impact of family function and social anxiety in Chinese nursing students. In this sense, improvement of alexithymia is expected to be an effective strategy to ameliorate the severity social anxiety in Chinese nursing students, especially for those with a dysfunctional family context.

Faith-Based Community Members, Family, and COVID-19: The Role of Family Cohesion, Social Support, and Spiritual Support on Quality of Life, Depression, and COVID-19-Prevention Behaviors

This study examined relationships between family cohesion, social support/spiritual support, and quality of life and depression among faith-based community members during the 2020 COVID-19 restrictions. Drawing upon the buffering model of social support and family cohesion as theoretical frameworks, the authors examined these factors in a survey of 551 faith-based community members between March 2020 and June 2020. Family cohesion had a direct and indirect effect (mediated by overall social support and spiritual support on quality of life). Moreover, family cohesion only had a direct effect on depression (e.g., not mediated by overall social support or spiritual support). Greater family cohesion and overall social support were predictive of increased COVID-19-prevention behaviors, while spiritual support was predictive of reduced COVID-19-prevention behaviors.

Gamification and family leisure to alleviate the psychological impact of confinement due to COVID-19

This study presents a quasi-experimental longitudinal mixed-methods research about the participation in leisure activities, physical activity, and games, as part of the family leisure programme ("Lunae Magic School") for Spanish families with children under 12 years old during COVID-19 lockdown. The impact on parents and their perception of the psychological well-being of their children is evaluated. The results show that leisure activities reduce the parent's anxiety levels measured with STAI scale (p = .0001) and their perception of the physical and emotional discomfort of their children, measured with PSC scale (p < .0001). It is qualitatively argued that despite the confinement situation, the gamification, the variety of activities and the fact of being able to enjoy quality time with the family have allowed the creation of spaces of fun and flow. Therefore, although the findings on the importance of family leisure were encouraging, more research is needed on the implementation of similar programmes.

COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Restrictions: Factors That May Affect Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Implications for Infant Development

This review aims to discuss the factors that may affect maternal mental health and infant development in COVID-19 pandemic condition. Toward this direction, the two objectives of this review are the following: (a) to discuss possible factors that may have affected negatively perinatal mental health through the pandemic-related restrictions; and (b) to present the implications of adversely affected maternal emotional wellbeing on infant development. We conclude that the pandemic may has affected maternal mental health with possible detrimental effects for the infants of the COVID-19 generation. We highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to be integrated within the health system for prenatal and postpartum care in an effort to promote maternal mental health and infant development.

Familiäre Unterstützung als Schutzfaktor für Jugendliche während der COVID-19-Pandemie

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die Familie stellt in Krisen einen zentralen Schutzfaktor für Jugendliche dar. Fragestellung: Diese Studie untersuchte die Zusammenhänge zwischen familiärer Unterstützung, der Sorge um die Gesundheit anderer und der psychischen Belastung von Jugendlichen. Methode: Daten einer Online-Studie zum Ende des 1. Lockdowns 2020 in Österreich und der Schweiz wurden mittels eines Strukturgleichungsmodells analysiert. Ergebnisse: Familiäre Unterstützung hing positiv mit der Sorge um die Gesundheit anderer und negativ mit psychischer Belastung zusammen. Die Schweizer Jugendlichen berichteten höhere Sorge um die Gesundheit anderer sowie eine geringere psychische Belastung. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Die familiäre Unterstützung spielt eine wichtige Rolle im Befinden und Erleben von Jugendlichen während der Pandemie.

The Mediational Role of Self-Support Personality in the Association of Family Function and School Belonging in Adolescents

Some previous studies have explored the impact of family function on school belonging. However, little is known about the parallel mediating relationship underlying them. This study aims to investigate the formation mechanism of school beginning in a sample of Chinese adolescents and examined the parallel mediating role of interpersonal self-support and individual self-support in the link between family function and school belonging. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four schools of the district of Hunan province in China, and 741 students were surveyed using cluster sampling. Family cohesion and adaptability scale (FACES), Adolescent students self-supporting personality scale (SSPS-AS), School belonging scale were applied. The results indicated that interpersonal self-support and individual self-support, together, and uniquely, parallel mediated the relationship between family function and school belonging. It can be concluded that family function not only has direct effects on school belonging but also has indirect effects through interpersonal self-support and individual self-support.

The associations between infertility-related stress, family adaptability and family cohesion in infertile couples

To explore the association between infertility-related stress, family adaptability and family cohesion in infertile couples and the determinants of infertility-related stress in infertile couples. Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACESII-CV) were used to measure the infertility-related stress and family adaptability and cohesion of infertile couples. T-test, ANOVA and multiple comparisons (LSD) were conducted to compare the FPI scores of different demographic characteristics subgroups. Stepwise multivariate linear regression was used to explore the determinants of infertility-related stress. Women had greater global stress than men (P < 0.001). Women scored higher on desired family adaptability, cohesion dissatisfaction and adaptive dissatisfaction than men (P = 0.039, P = 0.036, P = 0.008). FPI scores were higher in men and women who lived in rural (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). Family cohesion and education level was negatively correlated with infertility-related stress in men. Family adaptability and education level was negatively correlated with infertility-related stress in women. Healthcare providers should pay more attention and give more support to infertile couples who lived in rural or with low education level, and provide easier medical accessing for them. Moreover, healthcare providers should value more the family function and family support in intervention of reducing infertility-related stress.