Effects of Family Functioning on Adolescent Mental Health

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 866

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: adolescent; family; family functioning; family centered care; mental health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The period of adolescence is considered a difficult stage in the transition process to adulthood and is characterized by significant changes mentally and physically. In addition, individual, social, and contextual transitions also occur. Mental health problems among adolescents have increased worldwide (World Health Organization, 2022). In the Western world, approximately 10–20% of the adolescent population experience mental health problems. Adolescents describe the importance of having a good friend, having parents to feel secure with, and having someone to talk to. This highlights the parental role and family functioning with a focus on strengths and resources in the family. Family functioning is essential in managing everyday life and can be described as a dimension that influences the family in relation to problem-solving, communication, roles, behavioral control, affective responsiveness, and involvement. This calls us to pay attention to family functioning and family support in families living with an adolescent who has mental health problems.

This Special Issue aims to identify the effect of family functioning on adolescents’ mental health and to identify interventions that enhance family functioning and psychological well-being to prevent them from developing more serious mental illnesses. We are searching for articles and reviews that will enrich our understanding of the importance of family support both within the family and to support the family. Moreover, we are interested in exploring how these interventions are effectively incorporated into both policy and real-world applications within various healthcare systems and in voluntary practices.

Dr. Øyfrid Larsen Moen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • adolescents
  • family function
  • family support
  • intervention
  • mental health
  • resources

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 441 KiB  
Article
Development of the Parent–Child Communication Quality Scale from the Perspective of Children’s Psychological Needs
by Wenhui Lyu, Xiaohui Shi, Zhiheng Xiong and Yujie Mu
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100933 - 11 Oct 2024
Viewed by 650
Abstract
Parent–child communication plays a crucial role in children’s healthy growth. Nevertheless, there is currently a paucity of instruments designed to measure the quality of parent–child communication from a psychological perspective. Accordingly, based on the self psychology theory, this study has developed the Parent–Child [...] Read more.
Parent–child communication plays a crucial role in children’s healthy growth. Nevertheless, there is currently a paucity of instruments designed to measure the quality of parent–child communication from a psychological perspective. Accordingly, based on the self psychology theory, this study has developed the Parent–Child Communication Quality Scale (PCCQS) to assess the quality of parent–child communication in terms of the extent to which children’s psychological needs are met. A total of 1095 urban children (50.9% girls, M = 9.92, SD = 1.15) aged 8 to 12 years in eastern China were surveyed in this study. The measurement structure of the PCCQS was examined using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the CFA supported the second-order, four-factor structure of the PCCQS, with the 15-item PCCQS consisting of four factors (i.e., mirroring, idealization, empathy, and appropriate response). In conclusion, the PCCQS has good construct and criterion validity, as well as high internal consistency and split-half reliability. The scale is therefore a valuable tool for assessing the quality of parent–child communication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Family Functioning on Adolescent Mental Health)
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