Poster #139 - Family Dynamics and Psychological Health Issues in Emerging Adulthood in Rural China

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Emerging adulthood is a period from late adolescence through early adulthood (Arnett, 2007). In China, emerging adults in rural areas have more psychological health issues than their urban counterparts (Fan & Wang, 2001; Zhang, Yang, Feng, & Jing, 2010; Yu et al., 2017). Although studies in Western and the urban Chinese contexts have demonstrate the significance of family dynamics on psychological health in emerging adulthood (Boudreault-Bouchard et al., 2013; Petts, 2014; Wu & Zhang, 2004), there is a scarcity of research in rural China. Therefore, the current study investigated how family dynamics (marital quality and parental practices) in early and middle adolescence influenced individuals’ psychological health issues (self-esteem, depression, and externalizing problems) in emerging adulthood in rural China. It also explored the mediating effect of parental practices in the relationship between marital quality and psychological health issues.

Data for the current study were taken from Gansu Survey of Children and Families, which is a longitudinal survey in rural Gansu, China. Family dynamics information was collected in 2004 mother survey, and psychological health issues information was collected in 2009 youth survey. The sample consists of 1197 individuals, with 54.22% males and 45.78% females. In 2004, individuals were in early and middle adolescence between 13 to 17 years old (M = 15.02, SD = 1.15). In 2009, they were in emerging adulthood between 18 and 22 years old (M = 20.02, SD = 1.15). Family dynamics were measured by a self-developed 5-item marital quality scale (α = .81) and a 25-item self-developed parental practices scale about parental reasoning, warmth, involvement and punitiveness (α from .66 to .83). Psychological health issues were measured by a 10-item Rosenberg self-esteem scale, a 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977), and a 10-item Youth Self-Report (YSR) about externalizing problems.

Structural Equation Modeling analysis was conducted. Figure 1 shows that marital quality in early and middle adolescence did not significantly predict psychological health issues in emerging adulthood, b = -.01, β = -.02, p = .745. Parental practices in early and middle adolescence had significant influence on psychological health issues in emerging adulthood, b = -.12, β = -.12, p = .029. Figure 2 shows the mediating effect of parental practices. Direct effect of martial quality to parental practices was significant, b = .30, β = .57, p <.001, and direct effect of parental practices to psychological health was significant, b = -.10, β =-.12, p =.029. The direct effect of marital quality to psychological health issues was not significant, b = -.01, β = -.02, p = .745, when controlling for parental practices as a mediator, and was sufficiently reduced relative to the total effect of marital quality to psychological health issues, b = -.04, β = -.09, p = .031. In addition, the indirect effect of marital quality to psychological health was significant, b = -.03, β = -.07, p = .035. Therefore, parental practices mediated the influence of marital quality on rural Chinese individuals’ psychological health issues in emerging adulthood.

Authors

• Xinwei Zhang, Lehigh University
  Presenting Author

• Peggy Kong, Lehigh University
  Non-Presenting Author