The association between family dynamics and Positive Youth Development in secondary education students

Bibliographic Data

ID21391762
AuthorsAnna Jean Grasmeijer (0000-0003-3588-6684, HUM604, Research Group on Development of Lifestyle Across the Life Span and Health Promotion University of Huelva Huelva Spain), Diego Gómez-Baya (0000-0003-4651-0439, HUM604, Research Group on Development of Lifestyle Across the Life Span and Health Promotion University of Huelva Huelva Spain, corresponding author), Carlos Camacho (0000-0002-9704-5816, HUM604, Research Group on Development of Lifestyle Across the Life Span and Health Promotion University of Huelva Huelva Spain), Ramón Mendoza Berjano (0000-0002-5868-4850, Universidad de Huelva), Ramón Mendoza‐Berjano (HUM604, Research Group on Development of Lifestyle Across the Life Span and Health Promotion University of Huelva Huelva Spain)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue5
Pages858-869
Publication date2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.13028
PMID38785185
OpenAlexW4398783049
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited32

INTRODUCTION: The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework is a strengths-based approach to adolescence that states that adolescents will thrive if nurtured by the right developmental assets. The family is one of the most important developmental assets, but studies about the relationship between family dynamics and the overall PYD of adolescents are scarce. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to examine the associations between five family dynamics indicators and PYD, while taking into account the role of gender. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a representative sample of adolescents from the city of Huelva, Spain (n = 1,036). Data were collected in 14 randomly selected secondary education schools. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was tested to determine the effect of family dynamics on PYD, both for the whole sample and within each gender. RESULTS: The SEM for the whole sample showed a positive effect of the family dynamics factor on the PYD factor, explaining 51.8% of its variance. The indicators of satisfaction with the relationship with the mother, satisfaction with the relationship with the father, frequency of engaging in joint family activities on weekends, and frequency of sharing daily occurrences at home showed factor loadings over 0.50, while the indicator of frequency of contribution to household chores had the lowest loading. The family dynamics factor in the model with the subsample of girls explained 54.8% of the variance in PYD, while in the SEM with the subsample of boys this factor explained 47.6% of it. Additionally, among girls, the relative influence of satisfaction in the relationship with the parents, as well as of frequently discussing the day at home, is higher than among boys. CONCLUSION: These results highlight a strong association between family dynamics indicators and PYD among adolescents and indicate that this relationship is stronger for girls than for boys. Intersectoral policies enhancing improvements in family dynamics (e.g., facilitating the practice of joint family activities on weekends) may have a relevant impact on PYD

Association (psychology) · Developmental psychology · Dynamics (music) · Positive Youth Development · Sample (material) · Statistics · Structural equation modeling · Variance (accounting) · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support