Family Structure, Family Instability, and Child Psychological Well‐Being in the Context of Migration: Evidence From Sequence Analysis in China

Previous studies have shown that children who grow up in marriage-based twoparent families fare better in terms of their well-being than children who do not. Other researchers have instead argued that these negative effects are confounded by the children’s parents characteristics affecting selection into specific family structure trajectories, which likewise affect the children’s well-being. However, researchers have been unable to account for the complex and dynamic relation between the socioeconomic conditions of individuals and their trajectories of family formation and dissolution. Here I argue that even when researchers account for selection based on observable background characteristics, the negative effect of changes in family structure experienced during childhood on children’s well-being may be biased. Exposure-confounder feedback bias may be present in this association in the form of time-varying confounders such as socioeconomic conditions which affect family transitions and are affected by them dynamically. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study is used to empirically show this is the case. Family instability is here considered as a timevarying exposure. Estimations of effects of family transitions on multiple dimensions of children’s well-being are obtained through estimation of doubly robust marginal structural models and inverse probability of treatment weighting. It is shown that most of the effects of family instability are negative with a few noticeable exceptions. But more importantly, the paper shows that the size of these negative effects can be substantially reduced after partially accounting for an idiosyncratic selection of baseline background confounders and exposure-confounder feedback mechanisms. A discussion of these findings, as they relate to the association between socioeconomic conditions and contemporary family dynamics in the U.S., ensues.

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Ego Psychoanalytic Rorschach Interpretation

Rorschachiana Journal of the International Society for the Rorschach ◽

10.1027/1192-5604/a000086 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 22-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Irving B. Weiner

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Sequence Analysis ◽

Treatment Planning ◽

Well Being ◽

Adjustment Difficulties ◽

Behavioral Features ◽

Defensive Style ◽

Cognitive Slippage ◽

Interpretive Process

Abstract. This article concerns the utility of ego psychoanalytic perspectives in Rorschach interpretation. Psychoanalytic ego psychology focuses on how people cope with events in their lives and how effectively they can meet challenges to their sense of well-being. The way people deal with experienced distress constitutes their defensive style and determines to a large extent what kind of person they are. Adequate defenses against anxiety promote comfortable and productive adjustment, whereas ineffective defenses typically cause adjustment difficulties and susceptibility to psychological disorders. In Rorschach assessment, the nature and effectiveness of a person’s defensive style can often be identified with a sequence analysis that integrates the structural, thematic, and behavioral features in the protocol. In particular, the sequential quality of responses, especially preceding and following instances of cognitive slippage, can help identify causes of upsetting concerns, defensive efforts to alleviating these concerns, and the adequacy of these defensive efforts in restoring equanimity. This interpretive process is illustrated with attention to implications for differential diagnosis and treatment planning in the Rorschach protocol of a 20-year-old suicidal woman.

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The Self-Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis (SEMS) Scale

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000350 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 352-360 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Silvia Bonino ◽

Federica Graziano ◽

Martina Borghi ◽

Davide Marengo ◽

Giorgia Molinengo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Sense Of Coherence ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Concurrent Validity ◽

Rasch Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

And Coping

Abstract. This research developed a new scale to evaluate Self-Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis (SEMS). The aim of this study was to investigate dimensionality, item functioning, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity of the SEMS scale. Data were collected from 203 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (mean age, 39.5 years; 66% women; 95% having a relapsing remitting form of MS). Fifteen items of the SEMS scale were submitted to patients along with measures of psychological well-being, sense of coherence, depression, and coping strategies. Data underwent Rasch analysis and correlation analysis. Rasch analysis indicates the SEMS as a multidimensional construct characterized by two correlated dimensions: goal setting and symptom management, with satisfactory reliability coefficients. Overall, the 15 items reported acceptable fit statistics; the scale demonstrated measurement invariance (with respect to gender and disease duration) and good concurrent validity (positive correlations with psychological well-being, sense of coherence, and coping strategies and negative correlations with depression). Preliminary evidence suggests that SEMS is a psychometrically sound measure to evaluate perceived self-efficacy of MS patients with moderate disability, and it would be a valuable instrument for both research and clinical applications.

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Relationships Between Bidirectional Work-Family Interactions and Psychological Well-Being

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000107 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 87-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Xi-Chao Zhang ◽

Oi Ling Siu ◽

Jing Hu ◽

Weiwei Zhang

Keyword(s):

Family Conflict ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Time Lag ◽

Well Being ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Family Interactions ◽

Work Family Conflict ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Direct Model ◽

Work Family

This study investigated the direct, reversed, and reciprocal relationships between bidirectional work-family conflict/work-family facilitation and psychological well-being (PWB). We administered a three-wave questionnaire survey to 260 married Chinese employees using a time lag of one month. Cross-lagged structural equation modeling analysis was conducted and demonstrated that the direct model was better than the reversed causal or the reciprocal model. Specifically, work-to-family conflict at Time 1 negatively predicted PWB at Time 2, and work-to-family conflict at Time 2 negatively predicted PWB at Time 3; further, work-to-family facilitation at Time 1 positively predicted PWB at Time 2. In addition, family-to-work facilitation at Time 1 positively predicted PWB at Time 2, and family-to-work conflict at Time 2 negatively predicted PWB at Time 3.

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Associations Between Dutch LGBT Hate Crime Experience, Well-Being, Trust in the Police and Future Hate Crime Reporting

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000409 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 171-182

Author(s):

Allard R. Feddes ◽

Kai J. Jonas

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Hate Crime ◽

Well Being ◽

Crime Victims ◽

Crime Reporting ◽

Survey Study ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Building Trust ◽

Reporting Intentions

Abstract. LGBT-related hate crime is a conscious act of aggression against an LGBT citizen. The present research investigates associations between hate crime, psychological well-being, trust in the police and intentions to report future experiences of hate crime. A survey study was conducted among 391 LGBT respondents in the Netherlands. Sixteen percent experienced hate crime in the 12 months prior. Compared to non-victims, victims had significant lower psychological well-being, lower trust in the police and lower intentions to report future hate crime. Hate crime experience and lower psychological well-being were associated with lower reporting intentions through lower trust in the police. Helping hate crime victims cope with psychological distress in combination with building trust in the police could positively influence future reporting.

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