ABSTRACT
Caregiver monitoring and warmth have protective mental health effects for adolescents, including vulnerable adolescents. However, combinations of the aforesaid parenting behaviours and their relationship with adolescent mental health are underexplored, especially among younger and older South African (SA) adolescents challenged by structural disadvantage. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate unique profiles of caregiver monitoring and warmth and their associations with depression and conduct problems as reported by younger and older adolescents from disadvantaged SA communities. Latent profile and linear regression analyses were used to examine cross-sectional survey data generated by 891 adolescents from two disadvantaged SA communities (62.2% aged 13-17 [average age: 16.13]; 37.5% aged 18-24 [average age: 20.62]). Two profiles emerged. The first, i.e. substantial caregiver warmth and some monitoring, was associated with younger and older adolescent reports of statistically significantly fewer symptoms of depression and conduct problems. The second, i.e. caregiver monitoring without much warmth, was associated with significantly more symptoms of depression or conduct problems among younger and older adolescents. Traditional gender effects (i.e. higher depression symptoms among girls; higher conduct problem symptoms among boys) were amplified when caregiver monitoring was combined with low warmth. In short, protecting the mental health of younger and older adolescents from disadvantaged communities requires higher levels of caregiver warmth combined with moderate levels of caregiver supervision. Because stressors associated with disadvantaged communities jeopardise warm parenting, supporting caregiver resilience to those stressors is integral to supporting adolescent mental health.
ABSTRACT
Measuring key components of resilience is vital for understanding cross-cultural dynamics among youth and the environment. The Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28) was developed as a cross-cultural measure of resilience and has been used globally. To examine the cross-cultural utility of the CYRM-28, we conducted a systematic review of the literature reporting on the psychometric properties of the measure. Using data representing six countries (N = 6,232) that were supplied from authors of the studies reviewed, a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted to estimate the variability of the measurement properties among communities, ages, and sex. Results indicate that the literature generally did not include reliability and validity information for the instrument. From the multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, the measure was invariant between adolescent age-groups and sexes but not across communities.
