Is perceived emotional support beneficial? Well-being and health in independent and interdependent cultures

Previous studies show there is little or no association between perceived emotional support and well-being in European American culture. The authors hypothesized that this paradoxical absence of any benefit of perceived support is unique to cultural contexts that privilege independence rather than interdependence of the self. Study 1 tested college students and found, as predicted, that among Euro-Americans a positive effect of perceived emotional support on subjective well-being (positive affect) was weak and, moreover, it disappeared entirely once self-esteem was statistically controlled. In contrast, among Asians in Asia (Japanese and Filipinos) perceived emotional support positively predicted subjective well-being even after self-esteem was controlled. Study 2 extended Study 1 by testing both Japanese and American adults in midlife with respect to multiple indicators of well-being and physical health. Overall, the evidence underscores the central significance of culture as a moderator of the effectiveness of perceived emotional support.     

大学生社会支持、自尊和主观幸福感的关系研究

采用量表法以300名大学生为被试研究了社会支持、自尊和主观幸福感(包括总体主观幸福感、生活满意度、积极情感和消极情感)的关系.(1)相关分析表明,社会支持、自尊和总体主观幸福感、生活满意度以及积极情感两两显著正相关;社会支持、自尊和消极情感显著负相关.(2)回归分析进一步表明:社会支持对自尊和主观幸福感各维度回归效应显著;自尊在社会支持基础之上对主观幸福感各维度回归效应显著,对社会支持与主观幸福感起到了中介作用.(3)EQS5.7b方法进一步验证了自尊是社会支持与主观幸福感的中介影响因素的结论.     

Predicting Adolescent Self-Esteem From Participation in School Sports Among Latino Subgroups

Data from the in-school survey of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health on girls and boys who claim a Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban heritage were employed to test two hypotheses: (1) Participating in a school-based sport is associated with self-esteem, and (2) school attachment and a sense of physical well-being mediate this relationship. The first hypothesis was partially confirmed in that participation in school sports was associated with self-esteem among Mexican American adolescent girls and boys, Puerto Rican girls, and Cuban American boys, but not among Cuban American girls nor Puerto Rican boys. The second hypothesis was confirmed in that, where there was a significant relationship between participating in a school sport and self-esteem, school attachment and physical well-being mediated this relationship. The results underscore the need to study psychosocial processes separately among Latino subgroups and to examine gender within each subgroup.     

The Relation of Parental Qualities to Psychological Well-being,School Adjustment,and Problem Behavior in Chinese Adolescents with Economic Disadvantage

Adolescents with economic disadvantage ( N = 229) were asked to respond to instruments measuring their perceptions of parental qualities, psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior. Measures of parental qualities include perceived parenting styles, support and help from parents, and conflict and relationship with the parents. Results showed that perceptions of parental qualities were in general related to better adolescent psychological well-being (including existential well-being, life satisfaction, mastery, self-esteem, and general psychiatric morbidity), school adjustment (perceived academic performance and school conduct), and problem behavior (substance abuse and delinquency). Relative to maternal parenthood qualities, paternal parenthood qualities were found to have stronger relationships with measures of well-being and problem behavior in adolescents with economic disadvantage.     

Socioeconomic Status and Child Mental Health: The Role of Parental Emotional Well-Being and Parenting Practices

This study examined the role of parental emotional well-being and parenting practices as mediators of the association between familial socioeconomic status (SES) and child mental health problems. The sample included 2,043 5th-7th graders (50.7 % female) participating in the second wave of the Bergen Child Study. Children completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, parents reported family economy and education level, emotional well-being (measured with the Everyday Feelings Questionnaire), and the use of negative disciplinary and affirmative parenting practices (measured using the Family Life Questionnaire). Path analyses were conducted to examine the associations between SES and externalizing and internalizing problems. Results supported a model where family economy was associated with externalizing problems through parental emotional well-being and parenting practices, whereas maternal education level was associated with externalizing problems through negative discipline. The direct association between paternal education level and externalizing problems was not mediated by parenting. For internalizing problems, we found both direct associations with family economy and indirect associations with family economy through parental emotional well-being and parenting. The results suggest that parental emotional well-being and parenting practices are two potential mechanisms through which low socioeconomic status is associated with child mental health problems.     

大学生的社会支持、孤独及自尊对主观幸福感的作用机制研究

对389名大学生施测社会支持量表、自尊量表、社会与感情孤独量表及主观幸福感量表,以探讨孤独和自尊在社会支持与主观幸福感的关系中的作用。结果表明：（1）主观幸福感与社会支持、自尊、孤独呈显著相关。（2）路径分析表明,自尊、孤独分别在社会支持与主观幸福感之间起显著的中介作用。社会支持→自尊→孤独→主观幸福感的显著路径表明,这些变量间存在更为复杂的关系。这些结果对于大学生心理健康教育具有重要的意义。     

Personal Growth of Mothers of Preterms: Objective Severity of the Event,Subjective Stress,Personal Resources,and Maternal Emotional Support

This prospective study investigated the personal growth of Israeli mothers of premature babies at two medically defined risk levels (infants at low risk, n = 42; infants at moderate-high risk, n = 52), examining the contribution to the five dimensions of personal growth of objective event characteristics (baby’s risk level), perceived levels of mother’s stress (linear and curvilinear associations), and mother’s personal resources (self-esteem, attachment styles, perceived emotional support from her own mother). In addition, the role of the event severity as a moderator of the association between perceived maternal emotional support and personal growth was explored. Findings indicate that mothers in the two risk groups did not differ in level of perceived stress. Mothers of infants at moderate-high risk, however, experienced more spiritual change. In addition, consistent curvilinear associations emerged between perceived levels of stress and personal growth for three dimensions of growth: new possibilities, personal strength, and relations with others (with a similar trend for appreciation of life). Thus, mothers reporting moderate stress levels experienced the highest personal growth. Finally, risk group played a moderating role in the association between perceived maternal emotional support and personal growth on the dimensions of new possibilities, personal strength, and relations with others. On these dimensions, only among mothers of low-risk babies were higher levels of maternal emotional support associated with greater personal growth. The results highlight the importance of the subjective experience and the value of maternal emotional support for the personal growth of mothers of preterms. These findings may help in designing measures to identify populations at risk and developing appropriate interventions, as well as impact on the working procedures and support currently offered in most neonatal intensive care units.     

Age differences in the acculturation process

Age differences were assessed in a conceptual model that seeks to explain how acculturation affects psychological well-being among Mexican Americans. The data were from a national probability sample of 859 persons of Mexican decent. It was hypothesized that low acculturation creates financial stress. Moreover, low acculturation and financial stress were in turn predicted to erode feelings of personal control and self-esteem. Finally, diminished feelings of control and low self-esteem were hypothesized to exert a negative impact on psychological well-being. When data from respondents of all ages was assessed, empirical support was found for all of the hypotheses except the linkage between acculturation and financial stress. However, few age differences emerged in the model. The authors conclude that older Mexican Americans may not be more vulnerable to the stressors associated with acculturation.     

Gender,Emotional Support,and Well-Being Among the Rural Elderly

The current study sought to clarify the effects of social support on the psychological well-being of rural elders. Data were provided by 180 older men and women (mean age = 73.6 years) living in Northern Appalachia. Similar to the demographic profile of this region, most (97.2%) of the participants were Caucasian. Although mean differences in perceptions of emotional support did not emerge, the relative importance of various sources of support differed for men and women. For men, higher satisfaction with family support was associated with lower negative affect and higher positive affect. For women, although satisfaction with emotional support from family and more years of education were associated with lower levels of negative affect, emotional support from friends enhanced positive affect. The results suggest that new programs may be needed in order to help older rural men and women to maintain well-being in late life.     

Marital Conflict as a Mediator of the Longitudinal Connections between Maternal Emotional Distress and Early Adolescent Maladjustment

In this study, we examined the longitudinal relations among maternal emotional distress, marital conflict, and early adolescent externalizing behaviors and internalizing symptoms during the transition to adolescence. 3 years of self-report data were collected from 136 married mothers and their children, beginning when the children were in 5th grade. Structural equations modeling with latent variables were conducted to examine the nature and directionality of paths between constructs. For mothers, results indicated that marital conflict mediated the relation between prior maternal emotional distress and subsequent early adolescent externalizing behaviors and internalizing symptoms. For early adolescents, a mediating pattern was seen only for externalizing behaviors. In testing the reverse pattern of effects for mothers, marital conflict mediated the relation between prior early adolescent externalizing behaviors and subsequent maternal emotional distress whereas only an indirect pattern of effects existed for internalizing symptoms. Thus, we identified dynamic patterns of familial relations that accounted for the diminished well-being of both early adolescents and their mothers, suggesting that prevention and intervention work during the transition to adolescence should focus on multiple components of family functioning.     

The Repercussions of Emotional Abuse and Parenting Styles on Self-Esteem,Subjective Well-Being: A Retrospective Study with University Students in Brazil

This study verified the differences in the incidence of memory of emotional abuse among the different parenting styles in students from 18 to 30 years of age at a university in southern Brazil. The relationship between memory of emotional abuse and self-esteem, and subjective well-being was also examined. Students (n = 293) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, published scales measuring self-esteem, life satisfaction, parenting styles, and self-report questionnaires. Negative correlations were found between emotional abuse and self-esteem, positive affect, and life satisfaction. Positive correlations were found between emotional abuse, age, and negative affect. Memories of emotional abuse were significantly more frequent in students who reported being raised under negligent and authoritarian parenting styles than in those who were raised under the other parenting styles.     

Mexican‐Origin Parents’ Stress and Satisfaction: The Role of Emotional Support

Guided by a process model of parenting and the integrative model, this study examined sources of emotional support (i.e., partner, maternal, paternal) as related to stress and satisfaction resulting from the parenting role in a sample of Mexican‐origin young adult parents who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) during Wave IV. Participants were male and female parents (26–35 years of age; 59% female; N = 737) who had children and a partner. Results from structural equation modeling revealed support from mothers as salient; high levels of maternal support were associated with high levels of parenting satisfaction. Tests of indirect effects suggested that parenting satisfaction played an intervening role in the link between maternal support and parenting stress. The pattern of results held across levels of linguistic acculturation but varied by gender. Understanding the mechanisms that predict parenting stress and satisfaction within the Mexican‐origin population may help in the identification of culturally sensitive intervention strategies.     

Language Switching and Mexican Americans' Emotional Expression

This study examined the effects of counselor language switching and counselor ethnicity on bilingual Mexican American participants' emotional self‐disclosure. Counselor language (English only and Spanish with English) was crossed with counselor ethnicity (Mexican American and European American) to produce 4 treatment conditions. Judges' observations revealed that the European American counselor who language switched elicited the most emotional expression from participants. Este estudio examinó los efectos que un cambio de idioma por parte del consejero y la etnicidad del consejero tienen sobre la auto‐revelación emocional de los participantes México Americanos bilingües. El idioma del consejero (sólo inglés, y español con inglés) se combinó con su etnicidad (México Americano y Euro Americano) para generar 4 condiciones de tratamiento. Las observaciones de los jueces revelaron que el consejero Euro Americano que cambió de idioma obtuvo el mayor número de expresiones emocionales de los participantes.     

Exploring the Complexities of Familism and Acculturation: Central Constructs for People of Mexican Origin

We examined the relationships between three dimensions of familism: importance of family, family support, and family conflict with acculturation, assessed orthogonally (Mexican and American cultural contributions assessed independently), and the relative contribution these factors make to psychological adjustment among 248 (124 women, 124 men) adults of Mexican origin. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, positive associations were found between importance of family and the biculturalism of Mexican and American cultural identity; family support and Mexican cultural identity; but no associations between family conflict and level of acculturation. Psychological well-being was positively associated with Mexican cultural identity and family support, whereas psychological distress was associated with greater family conflict and lower family support. The greater relative contribution of Mexican cultural identity to familism and well-being, and the importance of assessing acculturation orthogonally are discussed. This research was supported in part by a Minority Supplement to National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH47193 to the Research Center on the Psychobiology of Ethnicity, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and by a research award from Pitzer College to Norma Rodriguez.     

让小我融入大我:适恰自尊的积极心理学意义

本研究基于本土自尊理论,将建立在适度恰当满足大小我需要基础上的自尊称为“适恰自尊”,并从个体,人际与集体三个层面揭示其积极心理学意义。结果发现：（1）在个体层面,适恰自尊与青少年主观幸福感显著正相关;（2）在人际层面,适恰自尊会放大来自他人（即父母）适恰自尊对青少年主观幸福感的积极影响;（3）在集体层面,大学新生的适恰自尊与大我自尊显著正相关,并有利于大学新生在入学一年内通过逐步建立大我自尊和小我自尊满足多重基本心理需要。本研究通过揭示中国人理想型自尊的内涵和机制,将会助力中国人理性平和,积极向上社会心态的建立与提升。     

Characteristic emotional intelligence and emotional well-being

Both theory and previous research suggest a link between emotional intelligence and emotional well-being. Emotional intelligence includes the ability to understand and regulate emotions; emotional well-being includes positive mood and high self-esteem. Two studies investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and mood, and between emotional intelligence and self-esteem. The results of these studies indicated that higher emotional intelligence was associated with characteristically positive mood and higher self-esteem. The results of a third study indicated that higher emotional intelligence was associated with a higher positive mood state and greater state self-esteem. The third study also investigated the role of emotional intelligence in mood and self-esteem regulation and found that individuals with higher emotional intelligence showed less of a decrease in positive mood and self-esteem after a negative state induction using the Velten method, and showed more of an increase in positive mood, but not in self-esteem, after a positive state induction. The findings were discussed in the light of previous work on emotional intelligence, and recommendations were made for further study.     

Life stress, social support, and self-esteem in an elderly population

Findings in previous studies of the stress-buffering properties of social support have been erratic. This study suggests that at least part of the reason for those inconclusive findings may be that researchers are using oversimplified models of the stress process and limited statistical approaches to assess the effects. The findings in this study indicate that social support (a) helps to reduce the deleterious effects of stress on emotional disorder primarily by bolstering the self-esteem of older adults and (b) affects psychological well-being only indirectly through self-esteem. Two distinct approaches to the statistical estimation of stress-buffering effects are also examined.     

ACCULTURATION, BODY IMAGE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND EATING-DISORDER SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN ADOLESCENT MEXICAN AMERICAN WOMEN

In this article the relationship among acculturation, body image, self-esteem, and eating disorder symptomatology in 120 Mexican American adolescent women was investigated. Surprisingly, acculturation levels were not related to anorexic or bulimic symptomatology, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction or thinness of ideal and attractive figures. Lower levels of self-esteem predicted higher levels of anorexic and bulimic symptomatology. Body mass was positively related to bulimic scores. In contrast to Lester and Petrie (1995), body dissatisfaction was significantly related to eating-disorder symptomatology. The high levels of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors found in this study suggest that rather than exclusively being an Anglo, middle-to upper-class phenomenon, eating-disordered behavior also exists within lower socioeconomic status Mexican American adolescent women.     

Social support and psychological well-being in young adults: the multi-dimensional support scale

A large sample (N = 483) of community-living adults (M age = 23.6 years) responded to questions about the frequency and adequacy of emotional, practical, and informational support during the past month from three sources-confidants, peers, and supervisors-using the Multi-Dimensional Support Scale. Factor analysis was used to distinguish meaningful regularities in item responses, and the resulting five scales have high internal reliability. Scores correlated significantly with measures of self-esteem, depressive affect, and psychological disturbance according to the General Health Questionnaire. To investigate what contribution support measures could make to the prediction of psychological well-being, hierarchical regression analyses were carried out with stressors entered first and support scores entered second. As expected, respondents' psychological well-being was related to their level of life stress; however, the addition of social support measures doubled the explained variance in measures of psychological well-being. The support measure with the strongest association with well-being was the frequency of supportive behaviors toward the respondent by close family and friends.