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Pao Yue-kong Library, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk COUPLE RELATIONSHIP MATTERS: DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECT OF INTER- PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP ON ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH FOK HUNG KIT Ph.D The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2014 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Department of Applied Social Sciences Couple Relationship matters: Direct and Indirect effect of Inter-parental relationship on adolescent mental health Fok Hung Kit A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March 2014 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Department of Applied Social Sciences Couple Relationship matters: Direct and Indirect effect of Inter-parental relationship on adolescent mental health Fok Hung Kit A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March 2014 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it reproduces no material previously published or written, nor material that has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due acknowledge has been made in the text. ________________________ Fok Hung Kit March, 2014 i Abstract Based on the family ecological perspective, this study investigated the relationships amongst inter-parental relationship (i.e., inter-parental conflict intensity and non-conflict related attributes), parenting processes (i.e., parenting styles and practices) and adolescent mental health (i.e., hopelessness, life satisfaction, and positive youth development) in a Chinese context. This study consisted of two parts. The first part was scale development and validation. In this part, a scale assessing adolescent perceived non-conflict related attributes was developed and validated. The second part is the main study where a cross-sectional survey design was employed. A total of 2,007 self-administered questionnaires based on convenience sampling were collected from 20 secondary schools in Hong Kong. The participants were Secondary 1 (Grade 7) to Secondary 4 (Grade 10) students, with a mean age of 13.75 (SD=1.16). In the validation study, a scale of adolescent perceived non-conflict related attributes was developed after thorough literature review and focus group interviews were conducted. The developed measure was found to be reliable and valid in term of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion-related validity and construct validity. In the main study, results showed that inter-parental conflict intensity was positively correlated with hopelessness but negatively correlated with life satisfaction and positive youth development whereas non-conflict related attributes was negatively correlated with hopelessness but positively with life satisfaction and positive youth development. Regression analyses showed that inter-parental relationship and parenting processes were predictors of adolescent mental health. Analyses based on structural equation modeling showed that perceived conflict intensity influenced adolescent mental health indirectly via parental concern, behavioral control and psychological control whereas non-conflict related attributes had both direct and indirect effects on adolescent mental health. The mediators included parental concern, behavioral control and psychological control as well as maternal control defined by indigenous Chinese concepts. ii Theoretically, the findings of this study suggest that inter-parental relationship and parenting processes are important building block in the model of adolescent mental health. The model underscores the impacts of multiple family processes on various aspects of adolescent mental health. Practically, inter-parental conflict intensity, non-conflict related, parenting styles, and parenting practices with reference to the family ecological framework are important processes for promoting various aspects of adolescent mental health. Implications for policy development and social service delivery are also highlighted. The limitations of the study are discussed and recommendations for future study are suggested. iii Publications arising from the thesis Fok, H. K., & Shek, D. T. L. (submitted for publication). Validation of Scale of Non-Conflict Related Marital Quality from the Perspective of Chinese Adolescent Children. Fok, H. K., & Shek, D. T. L. (2013). Assessment of non-conflict related marital quality from the perspective of Chinese adolescents. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 12(2), 175-184. Fok, H. K., & Shek, D. T. L. (2011). A methodological critique of parenting Research in Hong Kong. International Journal of Adolescence Medicine and Health, 23(2), 93-99. Fok, H. K., & Shek, D. T. L. (2011). A conceptual critique of the parenting research in Hong Kong. International Journal of Adolescence Medicine and Health, 23(2), 101-107. iii iv Acknowledgements I would like to express sincere gratitude to my dissertation supervisor, Professor Daniel T. L. Shek. He has sharpened my research focus and stimulated my extensive learning. Also, his patience, perseverance, and clear mentorship helped me for this long journey of study. Most importantly, he set an example of excellent scholar. His creativity and leadership in adolescent research admired (has inspired) me. I would like to also thank Caritas-Hong Kong for giving me great and generous support in this research. I am the most grateful to the principals, school personnel and school social workers who supported this research. Needless to say, credit goes to adolescents participated in the research. Moreover, I am indebted to Dr. Hildie Leung, Dr. Janet Leung, Mr. Joe Leung, and Mr. Charles Leung for assisting the proofreading for this thesis. I am also grateful to Mr. John Lam who has assisted me with my statistical analyses. Finally, I want to thank my family members and my fiancée for their support and love in my life. Their warmth and love remind me the importance and influence of family on an individual. iv v Table of contents Page Abstract i Publications arising from the thesis iii Acknowledgements iv Table of contents v List of Figures viii List of Tables ix Chapter One: 1 Introduction Chapter Two: 6 Perspectives on Adolescent Mental Health 2.1 The content of the criteria for the evaluation of theories 7 2.2 The Biological perspective 9 2.3 The Psychoanalytic perspective 14 2.4 The Behavioral perspective 19 2.5 The Cognitive perspective 22 2.6 The Cognitive-behavioral perspective 27 2.7 The Family Perspective 29 2.8 The Socio-cultural perspective 33 2.9 The Ecological perspective 34 2.10 Evaluation of the perspectives 38 2.11 Further discussion of ecological perspective in the context of 44 adolescent mental health 2.12 Employment of the family ecological perspective as the theoretical 48 perspective of this study 2.13 Summary 54 Chapter Three: 58 Review of the literature on the inter-parental relationship, parenting and adolescent mental health 3.1 Review of the literature on parenting and adolescent mental health 59 3.2 Review of the literature on inter-parental relationship and adolescent 62 mental health 3.3 Review of the literature on association of parenting with inter-parental 66 relationships and adolescent mental health 3.4 The Conceptual limitations of previous studies 68 3.5 The methodological limitations of studies in previous literature 82 v vi Chapter Four: 87 Theoretical framework, research questions, research hypotheses and proposed conceptual model 4.1 Antecedents of adolescent mental health—Inter-parental relational 87 quality 4.2 Outcomes being studied--Adolescent mental health 95 4.3 Parenting in mediating the association between perceived inter- 100 parental relational quality and adolescent mental health 4.4 Research Questions and hypotheses 107 Chapter Five: 115 Research design and methodology 5.1 Research design adopted with philosophical orientation and 115 justification 5.2 Measurement tools 118 5.3 Phases of implementation 127 Chapter Six: 130 Validation Study 6.1 Background 130 6.2 Scale Construction 132 6.3 Content Validation of the scale by experts 138 6.4 Psychometric properties of the Adolescents’ perception of inter- 145 parental non-conflict related attributes scale 6.5 Conclusion 161 Chapter Seven: 162 Main Study 7.1 Method 162 7.2 Profile of the study sample 166 7.3 Data screening and cleaning process 169 7.4 Psychometric properties of the measurement tools 170