Centre for Child and Family Science, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Department of Early Childhood Education, Centre for Child and Family Science, and Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
J Adolesc. 2021 Jun;89:55-62. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.04.001. Epub 2021 Apr 16.
Positive family interactions contribute to the development of social responsibility among adolescents. Interdependent self-construal and social trust, which reflect the perceived relatedness and beliefs towards others, may explain the relation between family cohesion and social responsibility. The present study tested the mediating mechanisms between family cohesion and adolescents' social responsibility via adolescents' interdependent self-construal and social trust.
A total of 386 Chinese children in Hong Kong (52.07% girls, M = 13.64 years) and their parents completed self-report questionnaires twice at 12 months apart. Family cohesion was measured by mothers', fathers', and adolescents' reports to provide a comprehensive representation of the family environment. A structural equation modeling was conducted to investigate the mediation effect.
Findings based on structural equation modeling revealed that family cohesion was positively associated with interdependent self-construal and social trust. In addition, adolescents' interdependent self-construal and social trust were positively associated with social responsibility. Bootstrapping analysis showed that interdependent self-construal and social trust were mediators between family cohesion and social responsibility.
Based on these findings, the study added new evidence to the literature by demonstrating the mediating role of interdependent self-construal and social trust between family cohesion and social responsibility. Future studies could examine potential cultural variabilities in Western and other Chinese contexts.
积极的家庭互动有助于青少年社会责任的发展。相互依存的自我概念和社会信任反映了对他人的感知关联性和信念，可能解释了家庭凝聚力与社会责任之间的关系。本研究通过青少年的相互依存的自我概念和社会信任，检验了家庭凝聚力与青少年社会责任之间的中介机制。
香港共有 386 名儿童（52.07%为女孩，M=13.64 岁）及其父母在 12 个月的时间内两次完成了自我报告问卷。家庭凝聚力由母亲、父亲和青少年的报告来衡量，以全面反映家庭环境。结构方程模型被用来调查中介效应。
基于结构方程模型的研究结果表明，家庭凝聚力与相互依存的自我概念和社会信任呈正相关。此外，青少年的相互依存的自我概念和社会信任与社会责任呈正相关。 bootstrap 分析表明，相互依存的自我概念和社会信任是家庭凝聚力和社会责任之间的中介。
基于这些发现，本研究通过证明相互依存的自我概念和社会信任在家庭凝聚力和社会责任之间的中介作用，为文献增添了新的证据。未来的研究可以在西方和其他中国背景下考察潜在的文化变异性。
