Mother and father involvement in adolescents' academic and socioemotional adjustment: does context matter?

Studies have demonstrated parent involvement as an important predictor of academic achievement, social emotional skill development, and overall psychological adjustment. Much of the previous work on parent involvement has focused on mother involvement, leaving the role of father involvement in adolescents' adjustment understudied. Further, this study was conducted during the COVID-19 global pandemic, which makes it unique in that some parents and adolescents were likely spending a significant amount of time with one another during the stay-at-home orders. Adolescents' perspectives are important as they are a critical part of the family and at a critical transitional stage in which they are becoming independent and making decisions about their future. The goal of this study was to identify whether there are differences in the rates of involvement among mothers and fathers, if involvement is associated with adolescents' school and wellbeing outcomes, and whether mother vs. father involvement has differential implications for adolescents' outcomes. The second goal of the study was to determine if contextual factors (e.g., parent relationship quality, teacher-adolescent relationships, community belonging, social support) moderate the associations between parent involvement and adolescent adjustment. Adolescents (N = 116: mean age = 13.2) reported on their perceived rates of mother and father involvement, and their academic and socioemotional adjustment. Findings demonstrated significant differences in the levels of mother and father involvement, such that mothers were found to have higher rates of involvement than fathers. Although there were differences in the rates of parent involvement among mothers and fathers, the implications of their involvement were similar for adolescents' outcomes. Parent-adolescent relationship quality significantly moderated the association between parenting involvement, both mother and father involvement, and adolescents' socioemotional skills. In a similar vein, community belonging was found to moderate the associations between parent involvement and adolescent academic achievement (e.g., grades). Herein, while parent involvement generally plays a positive role in adolescent outcomes, other contexts, and the social capital gained within them, can reinforce, these contributions to adolescents' academic and socioemotional adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-rated mental health, community belonging, life satisfaction and perceived change in mental health among adults during the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. / Santé mentale autoévaluée, sentiment d'appartenance à la communauté, satisfaction à l'égard de la vie et changement perçu en matière de santé mentale chez les adultes pendant la deuxième et la troisième vagues de la pandémie de COVID-19 au Canada.

Findings from the 2020 Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) suggested that the positive mental health of adults in Canada was lower during the second wave of the pandemic (fall 2020) than in 2019. With 2021 SCMH data from winter/spring 2021, we find in the current study that average life satisfaction and the prevalence of high self-rated mental health, high community belonging and perceptions of stable/improved mental health were even lower during the third wave of the pandemic as compared to the second wave in the overall adult population and in most sociodemographic groups.

Fewer adults in Canada reported high self-rated mental health in winter/spring 2021 (51.5%) compared to fall 2020 (59.9%). Fewer adults reported high community belonging in winter/spring 2021 (57.3%) compared to fall 2020 (63.7%). Rated from 0 (very dissatisfied) to 10 (very satisfied), average life satisfaction was lower in winter/spring 2021 (6.9) compared to fall 2020 (7.2). Fewer adults in winter/spring 2021 (58.1%) compared to fall 2020 (66.5%) reported that their mental health was better or about the same compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Le nombre d'adultes au Canada ayant fait état d'un niveau élevé de santé mentale autoévaluée s'est révélé moindre à l'hiver et au printemps 2021 (51,5 %) par rapport à l'automne 2020 (59,9 %). Le nombre d'adultes ayant fait état d'un fort sentiment d'appartenance à la communauté s'est révélé moindre à l'hiver et au printemps 2021 (57,3 %) par rapport à l'automne 2020 (63,7 %). Notée de 0 (très insatisfait) à 10 (très satisfait), la satisfaction moyenne à l'égard de la vie s'est révélée plus faible à l'hiver et au printemps 2021 (6,9) qu'elle ne l'était à l'automne 2020 (7,2). Le nombre d'adultes qui ont déclaré que leur santé mentale était meilleure ou à peu près la même qu'avant la pandémie de COVID-19 était moindre à l'hiver et au printemps 2021 (58,1 %) par rapport à l'automne 2020 (66,5 %).

Positive mental health and perceived change in mental health among adults in Canada during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. / Santé mentale positive et changement perçu de la santé mentale chez les adultes au Canada pendant la deuxième vague de la pandémie de COVID 19.

INTRODUCTION: Canadian surveys from spring/summer 2020 suggest the prevalence of some positive mental health (PMH) outcomes have declined compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, less is known about the state of PMH during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We compared adults' self-rated mental health (SRMH), community belonging and life satisfaction in Fall 2020 versus 2019 in the overall population and across sociodemographic characteristics using cross-sectional data from the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (September-December, 2020) and the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey. We also conducted regression analyses to examine which sociodemographic factors were associated with reporting in Fall 2020 that one's mental health was about the same or better compared to before the pandemic. RESULTS: Fewer adults reported high SRMH in Fall 2020 (59.95%) than in 2019 (66.71%) and fewer reported high community belonging in Fall 2020 (63.64%) than in 2019 (68.42%). Rated from 0 (very dissatisfied) to 10 (very satisfied), average life satisfaction was lower in Fall 2020 (7.19) than in 2019 (8.08). Females, those aged under 65 years, those living in a population centre, and those absent from work due to COVID-19 had lower odds of reporting that their mental health was about the same or better in Fall 2020. CONCLUSION: The PMH of adults was lower during the pandemic's second wave. However, the majority of individuals still reported high SRMH and community belonging. The findings identify certain sociodemographic groups whose mental health appears to have been more negatively impacted by the pandemic. Continued surveillance is important in ensuring mental health builds back better and stronger in Canada after the pandemic.

Symptoms of major depressive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a representative sample of the Canadian population. / Symptômes du trouble dépressif majeur pendant la pandémie de COVID 19 : résultats obtenus à partir d'un échantillon représentatif de la population canadienne.

INTRODUCTION: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, numerous studies from around the world have reported declines in mental health. However, most of these studies were of low-to-moderate quality and many were based on convenience samples or used mental health measures with low validity, or both. Consequently, it has been difficult to draw conclusions. METHODS: Both the 2020 Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (2015-2019) used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to screen for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults aged 18 or older. The prevalence of MDD was compared between the SCMH and the CCHS. Risk and protective factors for MDD in the SCMH were examined using bivariate and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Based on SCMH data, 15.2% (95% CI: 14.2-16.2) of Canadians screened positive for MDD. The prevalence of MDD was more than two times higher in the SCMH (during COVID-19) than in the CCHS (predating COVID-19). In bivariate analysis, Canadians reporting five or more COVID-19-related risk factors were close to 30 times more likely to have MDD than those reporting no risk factors. Mastery and a sense of community belonging were protective factors for MDD. CONCLUSION: After remaining stable for two decades, the prevalence of depression among Canadians increased substantially with the onset of COVID-19. Ongoing monitoring of this common condition associated with major morbidity is vital to determine if elevated levels of MDD persist as we progress through and beyond future waves of COVID-19.

Reduced Risk of Hospitalization With Stronger Community Belonging Among Aging Canadians Living With Diabetes: Findings From Linked Survey and Administrative Data.

Background: Social isolation has been identified as a substantial health concern in aging populations, associated with adverse chronic disease outcomes and health inequalities; however, little is known about the interconnections between social capital, diabetes management, and hospital burdens. This study aimed to assess the role of community belonging with the risk of potentially avoidable hospitalization among aging adults living with diabetes in Canada. Methods: The study leveraged a novel resource available through Statistics Canada's Social Data Linkage Environment: the Canadian Community Health Survey linked to administrative health records from the hospital Discharge Abstract Database. A population-representative sample of 13,580 community-dwelling adults aged 45 and over with diabetes was identified. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association of individuals' sense of community belonging with the risk of diabetes-related hospitalization over the period 2006-2012. Results: Most (69.9%) adults with diabetes reported a strong sense of belonging to their local community. Those who reported weak community belonging were significantly more likely to have been hospitalized for diabetes (χ2 = 13.82; p < 0.05). The association between weak community attachment and increased risk of diabetes hospitalization remained significant [adjusted OR: 1.80 (95%CI: 1.12-2.90)] after controlling for age, education, and other sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has resurfaced attention to the need to better address social capital and diabetes care in public health strategies. While the causal pathways are unclear, this national study highlighted that deficits in social attachments may place adults with diabetes at greater risk of acute complications leading to hospitalization.