The relationship between perceived social support and rumination among parents of children with autism: moderating effect of the degree of intervention received by children

Objective

As the number of children diagnosed with autism rises year by year, the issue of nurturing this particular group becomes increasingly salient. Parents of autistic children, as the nearest and most reliable caregivers for their children, shoulder immense psychological strain and accountability. They are compelled to confront an array of daily life challenges presented by their children, as well as endure multiple pressures such as societal scrutiny and financial burdens. Consequently, the mental health status of the parents is of utmost significance.

Methods

In this study, questionnaire survey combined with literature analysis were applied. The rumination thinking scale and the social support scale were used to investigate the relationship between social support perceived by parents of autistic children and rumination. Meanwhile, the moderating effects of intervention on children with autism were also explored. It hopes that our research would provide a basis for alleviating psychological stress and improving the mental health levels of the parents. A total of 303 parents of children with autism were collected (including 160 females and 143 males). Corresponding data analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0.

Results

Parents of autistic children generally exhibited high levels of rumination, with significant gender differences. At the same time, the perceived social support by the parents significantly influenced their level of rumination. It showed that the higher the social support received by parents, the lower the level of rumination. More importantly, the extent of intervention received by the children had a regulating effect on rumination of their parents.

Conclusion

The personalized psychological support programs should be developed based on the actual situation of parents, to better manage the challenges presented by raising a child with autism. Our findings would provide important theoretical underpinnings and practical guidance for psychological intervention efforts aimed at families of autistic children. Moreover, these findings offer novel insights for future research, with the potential to advance the field of mental health studies concerning parents of children with autism.

Broadening the perspective on youth's systems of support: An ecological examination of supportive peer and adult relationships during adolescence

This study applies the theory of positive youth development (Lerner et al., 2010) and the youth systems framework (Varga & Zaff, 2018) to the examination of supportive peer and adult relationships across multiple contexts in which youth develop. Results of egocentric social network analysis indicated that high school-aged youth nominated significantly more adults than middle school-aged youth. Peers and adults both acted as important sources of support, although often the types of support they offer differ. Outdegree centrality of peers was a significant predictor of character. The size of a participant's youth system, measured as the number of contexts accessed, along with average closeness in adult relationships, was a significant predictor of contribution. Thematic analysis of interview data identified four themes, aligned with the five actions of developmental relationships, as contributing factors to youth-adult closeness and youth perceptions of support (Pekel et al., 2018). Implications for youth-adult relationships are discussed.

Higher Socioeconomic Status Predicts Less Risk of Depression in Adolescence: Serial Mediating Roles of Social Support and Optimism

Family socioeconomic status (SES) is known to have a powerful influence on adolescent depression. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. Here, we explore this issue by testing the potential mediating roles of social support (interpersonal resource) and optimism (intrapersonal resource), based on the predictions of the reserve capacity model (RCM). Participants were 652 adolescents [age range: 11-20 years old, M age = 14.55 years, SD = 1.82; 338 boys (51.80%)] from two junior and two senior high schools in Wuhan, China. They completed questionnaires measuring family SES, perceived social support, optimism, and depression. Results showed, as predicted, (1) SES negatively predicted adolescent depression; (2) social support and optimism serially mediated the relations between SES and depression, consistent with the predictions by the RCM. Specifically, higher SES predicted greater social support and increased optimism, which in turn contributed to reduced depression. The implications of these data to the prevention and interventions of adolescent depression were discussed.

Adolescents' Well-Being with Respect to the Patterns of Disclosure to and Secrecy from Parents and the Best Friend: A Person-Centered Examination

Adolescents' disclosure and secrecy behaviors have important implications for their well-being. Previous research examined adolescent disclosure and secrecy mostly in one close relationship (i.e., one's mother). What remains to be addressed is the patterns of disclosure and secrecy considering adolescents' other close relationships and the well-being differences between these patterns. Adopting a person-centered approach, the current study examined constellations of disclosure and secrecy in adolescents' relationships with their mother, father and best friends, and the extent to which these patterns differ with respect to life satisfaction, problem-solving confidence, and anxiety. The sample consisted of middle adolescents (N = 1097; M_age = 15.12; range = 14-16; 61.6% female) from nine public schools in Istanbul, Turkey. Analysis conducted for the whole sample showed that best friends were the most frequently disclosed confidants followed by mothers, and secrecy was similar for best friends and mothers. Adolescents were least likely to disclose to their fathers and keep secrets from them more frequently. Comparisons of the five classes identified with latent profile analysis, however, indicated that the class with the best well-being status (highest life satisfaction, problem-solving confidence, and lowest anxiety) consisted of adolescents who disclosed most often to their mothers, seconded by best friends, and kept secrets less often from their parents than their best friends. The class with the lowest well-being status consisted of adolescents who had lowest disclosure and highest secrecy in three close relationships. Overall, findings underscored the usefulness of person-centered analytic approach showing that while best friends were the primary confidents when examined with a variable-centered approach, adolescents with the highest well-being status reported to disclose most often to their mothers. This finding underlines the importance of sharing personal information and being less secretive especially with mothers in adolescence.

Adolescent Victims Emerging From Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a pervasive public health issue, affecting 10% to 50% of adolescents and resulting in significant negative health outcomes. Due to the relative newness of cyberbullying, there are many elements of the phenomenon that are not understood. Fifteen adolescents and young adults who had experienced cyberbullying as adolescents, participated in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. A grounded theory and model, Emerging From Cyberbullying, was constructed to describe the process of being a victim of cyberbullying. The process began by Being Targeted and a cycle of Being Cyberbullied, Losing Oneself, and Attempting to Cope followed. Once out of the cycle, victims could begin the process of Resolving and Finding Oneself. This theory can be used to inform cyberbullying prevention efforts and adolescent providers can utilize this theory to understand the process of being a victim of cyberbullying, promote open discussions with adolescents about cyberbullying, and offer suggestions for effective methods to cope.