Attachment to God in a Collectivistic Context and its Impact on Perceived Stress

Introduction: Research indicates that attachment to God is correlated with parental attachment and perceived stress. However, these relationships have not been studied outside the Western context. The present research evaluated the relationship between attachment to God and attachment to parents within different family systems and the impact of these attachments on perceived stress. Methods: A sample of 284 Christian undergraduate students was surveyed. The data were collected from the participants through convenience sampling. Relationships between attachment to parents, attachment to God, religiosity, and perceived stress were studied. Results: A significant positive relationship between attachment to parents and to God was found for the nuclear family system on the anxiety subscale. For the avoidance subscale, both nuclear and joint family systems had significant positive relationships between parental attachment and attachment to God; however, it was stronger for joint family systems. The multiple regression analysis showed parental avoidance (β = .256, p <.001) and God anxiety (β = .281, p <.001) as the strongest predictors of stress. Discussion: The findings highlight the impact of collectivistic cultural values, particularly the importance of relationships. The implications include the significance of the impact of culture on attachment relationships and the finding that attachment correlates with lower levels of perceived stress. The research also shows the difference in attachment styles depending upon the family system the participant belongs to which can again be attributed to cultural norms and values.

Examining the Relationships Between Fear of Coronavirus, State Anxiety, and Relationship Happiness Among Married Turkish Individuals During COVID-19

The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of state anxiety in the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and relationship happiness among married individuals. An additional aim of the study also tested the moderating role of joint family activities between state anxiety and relationship happiness. The study sample consisted of 1713 married individuals (1031 women and 682 men). The study findings showed both the significant direct associations among the studied variables and the mediating role of state anxiety in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and relationship happiness. It also found that the path of state anxiety to relationship happiness among married individuals having family activities was significantly lower than those who did not. Directions for future research and application were discussed.

SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AND FAMILY COMMUNICATION IN ADULTS

Purpose of the study: This quantitative research investigates the effects of smartphone addiction on family communication. Research Methodology: The sample size (N=200) consists of 100 males and 100 females. The participants have been divided into three groups according to age, age group 18-20, age group 21-23, and age group 24-25. The sample has been selected by the purposive sampling technique. Smartphone Addiction Scale- Short Version (SASS-SV)has been used to measure smartphone addiction and Family Communication Scale (FCS) assesses the family communication of adults. For statistical analysis Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) version 23 software has been used. The relationship has been assessed using Pearson correlation and an independent sample t-test has been used to find meaningful differences. Main findings: The study concludes that there is no significant effect of smartphone addiction on family communication. Moreover age group (18-20) is more addicted to the smartphone than the other age groups. Application of the Study: The study will provide researchers with enough data and information related to smartphone addiction and family communication. Findings will also enable them to further explore the long-term use of smartphones in the joint family system. Innovation of the Study: Joint family system is the norm in Pakistan whose major part of the population comprises youth, ages between 18-20 years. No research on smartphone addiction in the perspective of family communication in a joint family system has yet been conducted in Pakistan to my knowledge.

Changing Scenario of Family System in India: An Analysis Against the Backdrop of Changing Social Values

The predominant type of living arrangement in pre-independence India was joint family system. It was based on the notion of collectivism and charity. It was a serving place for not only nurturing and preserving social values, but also passing them down through generations. After the advent of industrialization and subsequent emergence of urbanization and modernization, the joint families started disintegrating into nuclear families. The modern nuclear family is perpetually promoting the principle of individualism or independence in contrast to the value of collectivism deep-rooted in joint family. It is, therefore, a value shift in family from collectivism to individualism. It is followed by a loyalty shift in family from lineal ties to conjugal ties. Consequently, nuclear family has become an indispensible social unit in contemporary Indian society. However, its sustainability may perhaps be uncertain in a distant future because of the inclination of present younger generation to complete independence in life. Probably this may result in the emergent of a new type of living arrangement to satisfy the needs of generations of people in a remote future.

Knowledge and practices related to menstruation among Lucknow college students in North India: results from a cross-sectional survey

Background: Girls in many low and middle-income countries enter puberty with knowledge gaps and misconceptions about menstruation may lead to unsafe hygienic practices that increase health risk. Despite such importance, educated girls' knowledge and hygienic practice towards menstruation are not well addressed in India. Consequently, the present study attempted to assess menstrual hygiene knowledge and practice among college students in Lucknow city in north India. Method: An online college-based cross-sectional study design was employed in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh in India. Data collection was carried out from September 11 to September 25, 2020, using a google form among undergraduate and Postgraduate students. All variables that were significant at bivariate level (at P-value < 0.05) were entered into multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model to control for confounding factors. In the final model, P-value of less than 0.05 was used as a base to identify factors having a statistically significant association with poor knowledge and hygiene practice at corresponding 95% confidence interval. Results: More than half of students' ages of menarche were between 12-15 years, and duration of menses flow was between 3-5 days. The most common premenstrual symptom was abdominal pain (67%) and back pain (50.5%). Majority of the students had first time discussed menstrual problems with their mothers (69.2%). Around 94% of students were currently using a sanitary pad as an absorbent. Regarding cleanliness, about (90.9%) girls clean their genitals after urinating during mensuration. Around 18.9% used medication during menstruation. Multivariate analyses reveal that students of Science and Technology (vs Commerce and Management Students) and monthly family income 50-100 thousand (vs < 25 thousands) were associated with good knowledge about menstruation. In contrast, students' fathers were graduates (vs school educated); the occupation was 'Other'(vs Farmer) ; living in a nuclear family(vs Joint family) and residing in urban areas(vs Rural) were less likely to have good menstruation knowledge. Besides, good hygiene practices are less likely to have with 'Other' Religion(vs Hindu), working mother(vs Housewife), monthly family income between 25 to 50 thousand(vs <25 thousands), and Nuclear family(vs Joint family) (p<0.05). Conclusions Most college students had poor knowledge but followed hygienic practices correctly. It demonstrates a need to design acceptable awareness creation and advocacy programs to improve college students' knowledge during menstruation. Of all the sociodemographic factors, monthly income and types of family influenced students' knowledge and practices related to menstruation.