280228
Depression as a mediator between parental strictness of rules and self-esteem. an investigation among italian and dutch adolescents
Gary Barden,
Department of Health Sciences, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA
Background: A number of studies have established the influence of parenting on adolescent well-being. However few investigations have studied the effects of similar parenting behaviors across different countries. Italy and the Netherlands are two European countries that are socio-culturally quite different regarding many aspects of families' lives and structure. This investigation evaluated the possible mediating effect of depression between the relationship of strictness of family rules and self-esteem among Italian and Dutch adolescent populations. Methods: The sample consisted of 510 Italian and Dutch adolescents, living in the northwest of Italy and the northeast of The Netherlands, and was reasonably balanced for country (52% Italian, 48% Dutch), gender (48% female), age (mean age = 17.4 (S.D. = 1.4)). The Sobel test for mediation was used to explore possible mediation effects of depression between strictness of family rules and self-esteem. Results: The Sobel test for mediation showed that depression fully mediated the relationship between strictness of family rules and self-esteem, (z = -2.04, p < .001) among Italian adolescents; depression was not found to function as a mediator in the Dutch population. Conclusions: Further investigation is needed which could enhance our understanding of cultural and national nuances in the influence of parenting on adolescent wellbeing. Such efforts could assist in the transferability of adolescent wellbeing promotion efforts among different nations.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify parenting practices associated with positive adolescent development.
Explain possible antecedents of adolescent mental health.
Differentiate possible US and European adolescent well-being correlates.
Keyword(s): Adolescents, Depression
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a research assistant for a research group that has received funding for multiple project grants and which has a strong record of peer reviewed publications in the area of child and adolescent health behaviors. My scientific interests concern the topics under consideration in this abstract, parental strictness and self-esteem, which are the basis for my statistical and research methods training. I am responsible to prepare this research for a scientific peer reviewed manuscript.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
