Summary

Family represents a crucial form of socialization in shaping the healthy development of children and adolescents. In the last decades, studies have emphasized the crucial role of parent-child relationships in promoting a child's development and well-being. In addition, these studies also observed the critical role of parenting style in children's development and positive well-being. However, more is needed to know about the impact of parenting styles on children's psychological well-being in Singapore. Therefore, the current study investigates the association between parenting style, family support, and psychological well-being among children and adolescents in Singapore. Data came from 133 children and adolescents (57.9% boys and 42.1% girls) aged 8 to 14 (mean=11.01, SD=1.57). The  self-administered questionnaire consists of the Provincial Parenting Style, the Stirling Children Well-Being questionnaire (SCW), and the family support subscale of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (FS). Descriptive statistics examined the distribution of the study variables. ANOVA assesses whether parenting styles and psychological well-being differ by age and gender. Hierarchical linear regression examined the links between parenting style, family support, and SCW scores. Most respondents (55.6%) perceived their parents as authoritative, 29.4% as authoritarian, and 15% as permissive. There was a significant gender difference in parenting style with an authoritarian style more frequent among girls (M=13.96, SD=2.88 compared to BoysM=12.92, SD=2.85), F (1, 131)=4.29, p <.05. However, the authoritative style was more frequent in the younger age group (8-10 years) compared with those aged 11-14 years, F (1, 131)=4.12, p<.05. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that family support (β=5.61, p<.001) and authoritative parenting (β=3.15, p<.01) contributed significantly to children's psychological well-being. Parenting behavior significantly predicts children's and adolescents' psychological well-being. Authoritative parenting and familial support can enhance adjustment and promote psychological well-being in young people.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Parenting styles, psychological well-being, children, adolescence, family support, Singapore 

Summary

Namibia has the 6th highest rate of HIV globally. Almost 29% of new infections are among adolescent girls and young women between 15-24 years of age. A lack of psychosocial support, mental health challenges, and various forms of stigma are significant issues for HIV-impacted adolescent girls and young women in Namibia. Our study aims to identify, adapt, and pilot an evidence-based (EB) psycho-educational intervention with adolescent girls and young women in Namibia between ages 13-19 affected by HIV and AIDS and who live in an informal settlement community. This presentation is on our study’s research design in which the ADAPTT-IT model was used to identify and adapt a psycho-educational intervention to be used with adolescent girls in a culturally and locally appropriate manner. Our presentation will also outline our preliminary findings related to the identification of an appropriate intervention to adapt based on qualitative in-depth interviews (n=27) with adolescent girls and young women. The study used a qualitative research design to explore the cultural and contextual factors that may influence the effectiveness of the intervention in this population. The preliminary results of the study suggest that adaptation of an intervention will be necessary to account for the unique experiences and cultural norms of the girls and young women. The findings of this study have important implications for the development of culturally sensitive interventions for marginalized populations in resource-limited settings. Moreover, the presentation is related to the conference sub-themes social work and child welfare and social work and mental health (our chosen conference sub-themes). The presentation will underscore the importance of fostering locally contextual dialogue and indigenous understanding to inform interventions. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Namibia; HIV and AIDS; ADAPTT-IT model; psycho-educational interventions

Summary

 Background: Promoting and improving mental health education for college students is an important task in the interdisciplinary professional community. “Linking Hearts” as an implementation science (IS) research project aimed at promoting university student mental health in Jinan, China. By using an evidence-based intervention rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) and Group Empowerment Psychoeducation (GEP), we train interdisciplinary professional and student champions to developmental health initiatives and networks for promoting collaborative care system and policy changes at the universities and beyond.  Objectives: This presentation will focus on the intertwined RE-AIM and integrated knowledge transfer (IKT)processes in evaluating the initial systemic impact of the second phase of our project. Methods: Data collection and analysis are conducted at the individual and organizational levels of 160 participants in 6 Universities. The RE-AIM framework and measurement indexes are used to examine the process and outcomes of knowledge transfer along five dimensions: Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance. Results: The scores for the implementation and effectiveness of knowledge transfer in the second stage of the project are higher, while the scores for the adoption and maintenance are slightly lower; there are certain differences in the implementation and effectiveness of knowledge transfer among different organizations; the factors that affect the outcomes of transfer involve different levels of organization, individuals, cross (multi) disciplines, cross cultures, and transfer paths.Implications: IKT processes as embedded within the RE-AIM framework serve as an important vehicle to evaluate the cascading systemic impact of an IS project. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Mental Health, University, Integrated Knowledge Transfer, Program Evaluation

Summary

In the past 40 years, the number of Hong Kong men marrying Mainland Chinese women has continued to increase. According to a 2018 census report, about 34.7 % of newly registered marriages in 2016 (17,352 out of 50,008) were cross-boundary marriages (Choi, 2018). The increasing number of cross-boundary marriages between Hong Kong men and Mainland Chinese women has raised concerns about domestic violence within these relationships, particularly those involving older husbands and younger wives (January and May). Despite legislative efforts to protect victims of domestic violence, the social stigma attached to Chinese migrant wives remains prevalent in Hong Kong. This paper draws on data from a local support project for migrant women from Mainland China and explores the application of narrative therapy in addressing disenfranchised grief experienced by a Chinese migrant wife following the death of her Hong Kong husband. The author demonstrates how the metaphor of "white eyes" (symbolizing disapproval and judgment from step-children) and "true love" (representing faithfulness in marriage) can make meaning of the grief experiences, reconstruct the widow's narrative, and deconstruct social stigmas. By employing various conversation maps and therapeutic documents of narrative therapy to thicken the cross-border marriage couple’s love story, strengthens the widow's inner resources and competencies, and resists problem-saturated identities. This approach serves as an anti-oppressive practice, giving voice to a marginalized group of Chinese migrant wives, raising their consciousness, and empowering them through the process of storytelling.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Narrative Therapy, Disenfranchised Grief, Spouse, Migrant identity, Hong Kong