The COVID-19 pandemic has led to radical and unexpected changes in everyday life, and it is plausible that people's psychophysical health has been affected. This study examined the relationship ...between COVID-19 related knowledge and mental health in a Croatian sample of participants.
An online survey was conducted from March 18 until March 23, 2020, and a total of 1244 participant responses were collected (85.5% were women and 58.4% completed secondary education). Measures included eight questions regarding biological features of the virus, symptoms, and prevention, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Optimism-Pessimism Scale. According to the answers given on the questions on COVID-19 related knowledge, participants were divided in two groups: (1) informed and (2) uninformed on each question. They were then compared in the expressed levels of anxiety, depression, pessimism, and optimism. Full vs. partial mediation models with optimism/pessimism as a mediator in the relationship between anxiety/depression and the accuracy of responses for questions about handwashing and ways of transmission were estimated.
Participants who responded correctly on the question about handwashing had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and pessimism than those participants whose answer was incorrect, while participants who answered correctly on the question about the percentage of patients who develop serious breathing problems had higher levels of depression than those who answered incorrectly. Lower levels of anxiety and pessimism were observed in the participants who answered correctly about ways of transmission. Higher levels of pessimism were found in participants who scored incorrectly on questions about the efficiency of antibiotics, most common symptoms, and the possibility of being infected by asymptomatic carriers. Higher levels of knowledge about handwashing were predicted by higher levels of anxiety and pessimism. Higher levels of knowledge about ways of transmission were predicted by lower levels of anxiety and lower levels of pessimism. The examined relationships between anxiety/depression and knowledge were mediated by pessimism.
The findings of this study suggest that knowledge about COVID-19 may be useful to reduce anxiety and depression, but it must be directed to the promotion of health behaviors and to the recognition of fake news.
Modern parenting is characterized by numerous changes which make the parental role not only fulfilling but also very demanding and stressful. In the process of adjustment to the parental role, some ...personality characteristics of parents can function as protective or risk factors for subjective parental adjustment (parental burnout and competence) and for parental behavior. Therefore, the aim of this research was to test the mediating role of parental burnout and competence in the relationship between personality characteristics of parents (neuroticism and tendency towards parenting perfectionism) and parental neglect of children and violence towards children, while controlling for some sociodemographic variables. A total of 1025 parents from Croatia (90% mothers) participated in the research. Using SEM, two competing models (“i.e.,”, partial vs. full mediation) were tested. The obtained results clearly indicated better fit of the partial mediation model to the data. It was determined that parental burnout and competence had a partial mediating role in the relationship between personality characteristics of parents and their tendency towards child neglect and violence. Higher levels of neuroticism and parenting perfectionistic concerns contribute to increased parental burnout. Furthermore, a higher level of parental burnout contributes to a higher level of parent reported violence and neglect towards the child. Also, parents who are more emotionally stable and have higher standards regarding oneself as parent (self-oriented parenting perfectionism) and a lower tendency to be self-critical in one’s parenting role (perfectionistic concerns), with greater perceived parental competence, are less susceptible to being violent against their children.
Highlights
Some parents can experience feelings of burnout in the parental role due to reinforced parental demands.
This research points to the constructs of parental burnout and competence as determinants of (in)adequate parental behavior.
Higher levels of neuroticism and parenting perfectionistic concerns contribute to increased parental burnout.
Findings suggest that perfectionism concerns over mistakes can harm children by increasing parental neglect and violence towards children.
Parental burnout is a syndrome characterised by exhaustion in parenting as a result of permanent exposure to chronic parental stress. This syndrome manifests in emotional distancing from one's ...children with loss of pleasure and fulfilment in one's parental role and doubts about the ability to be a good parent. The main goal was to examine the contribution of sociodemographic variables (gender and age of parents, education, work status and financial status of the family), personal characteristics of parents (emotional (in)stability and perfectionism in parenting), dimensions of parental behaviour (parental support, permissiveness and restrictive control) and personal characteristics of the target child (gender, age, strengths and difficulties of the child) in explaining parental burnout. A total of 490 parents (90% mothers) participated in the research, with the average age of 40 (M = 40,04; SD = 5,63). The results of HRA show that the most significant predictors of parental burnout are parental characteristics (higher emotional instability and perfectionistic concerns), parental behaviour (low parental support) and child characteristics (younger age of the child, higher level of internalised and externalised problems). The emotional (in)stability of parents is the most significant predictor of parental burnout in the parental role.
A quasi-experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of exposure to interactive and non-interactive virtual nature on stress, mood, and cognitive performance among university students. ...A control group exposed to a white wall was included, and connectedness to nature was added as a potential covariate. The results showed that exposure to virtual nature, especially interactively, had effects on increasing reported happiness and on reducing stress and tenseness. However, there were no effects on energy, calmness, and the digit span test results. The trail test part a and b results were both improved in the post-exposure measurement in the control group, and part b after exposure to nature non-interactively, but not interactively. The results suggest that exposure to nature through virtual reality can have benefits for some indicators of well-being, and further research is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms and potential effects on other aspects of cognitive functioning.
Quantitative research on the positive aspects of work–life integration and the well-being of families with children with disabilities is scarce, especially in the national context. The family can ...provide gains that enhance work domain functioning (family-to-work facilitation; FWF), and work can provide gains that enhance family domain functioning (work-to-family facilitation; WFF). The aim of this study is to examine the contributions of some personal and environmental resources in explaining WFF and FWF and the mental health of parents of children with disabilities residing in Croatia. The mediational role of WFF and FWF in the relationship between resources and mental health was tested, while controlling for some general socio-demographic variables. A total of 571 employed parents of a child/children with disabilities completed an online self-assessment questionnaire. The results show that higher WFF (19%) was predicted by higher levels of social support at work, a higher level of education, posttraumatic growth (PTG) of personal strength, and recovery management. Higher FWF (46%) was predicted by higher levels of social support in the family, PTG of personal strength, the emotional regulation strategy of reorienting to planning, optimism, a younger age, the male gender, a greater number of children, and a higher level of education. A higher level of mental health (47%) was predicted directly by higher levels of optimism, recovery management, FWF, emotional regulation strategies of positive refocusing and planning, and a greater number of children, and was indirectly predicted by all the predictors of FWF through a higher level of FWF (but not WFF).
Roditeljska je uloga jedna od najzahtjevnijih životnih uloga koja istovremeno može biti vrlo ispunjavajuća, ali i vrlo zahtjevna i stresna. U posljednje se vrijeme bilježi velik interes za proučavanj ...e sagorij evanj a u roditelj stvu koj e karakterizira silna iscrplj enost povezana s roditelj skom ulogom, emocionalno udaljavanje od djece i osjećaj neučinkovitosti u roditeljskoj ulozi te sumnja u sposobnost da se bude dobar roditelj. U ovome su radu prikazane validacij a i metrij ske karakteristike hrvatskoga prijevoda Upitnika sagorijevanja u roditeljstvu (engl. Parental Burnout Assessment, PBA) autorice I. Roskam i suradnica (2018) koji sadrži četiri supskale (iscrpljenost u roditeljskoj ulozi, suprotnost s prethodnim doživljajem sebe kao roditelja, zasićenost roditeljskom ulogom te emocionalno udaljavanje od djece). Hrvatska verzija Upitnika sagorijevanja u roditeljstvu pokazala je zadovoljavajuće metrijske karakteristike utvrdene na uzorku od 1025 roditelja (90 % majki) prosječne dobi 40 godina. Rezultati konfirmatorne faktorske analize potvrdili su pretpostavljenu teorij sku četverofaktorsku strukturu upitnika, a ujedno se faktori grupiraju u jedan faktor višega reda sagorij evanj a u roditelj skoj ulozi. U prilog valj anosti upitnika govore i značajne očekivane korelacij e izmedu roditeljskih samoprocjena sagorijevanja u roditeljstvu i sklonosti perfekcionizmu u roditeljstvu te zanemarivanju djece i nasilju prema njima. Unutarnja konzistencija za ukupnu mjeru sagorijevanja u roditeljstvu iznosi visokih .98, a za supskale od .87 do .96.
Parents of children with developmental disabilities face numerous challenges and stressors that can negatively impact their well-being. One of the relatively neglected issues, particularly in the ...national context, is the difficulty of balancing the demands of work and family for this group of parents. Therefore, this paper aimed to gain a deeper insight into the factors that may be important in explaining the well-being of working parents of children with developmental disabilities in Croatia. More specifically, it aimed to identify the factors that promote and/or hinder the reconciliation of work and family life for this group of parents. A total of 25 working parents (15 mothers and 10 fathers) of children with different types and degrees of developmental disabilities participated in the research, which was based on in-depth interviews. Most participants (N=23) have one child, while two of them have two children with objectively diagnosed developmental disabilities. Most of the participants (N=21) are employed full-time. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results indicated four groups of factors: social, organisational, family, and individual, that facilitate and/or hinder the reconciliation of work and family roles from the perspective of study participants. Considering that the well-being of parents of children with developmental disabilities is strongly influenced by the specific social context, which makes it difficult to generalise the insights obtained in different countries, the results of this research conducted in Croatia constitute an important theoretical contribution. The identification and description of relevant factors that enable the reconciliation of work and family roles and thus shape the well-being of this group of parents provide a strong starting point for quantitative research in this area. In addition to the above, the paper provides a number of practical implications aimed at improving the well-being of this group of parents.
Roditelji djece s teškoćama u razvoju suočavaju se s brojnim izazovima i stresorima koji se mogu negativno odraziti na njihovu dobrobit. Jedna od relativno zanemarenih tema, osobito u nacionalnim ...okvirima, jest otežana mogućnost usklađivanja zahtjeva radne i obiteljske uloge te skupine roditelja. Stoga je cilj ovog rada bio dobiti dublji uvid u čimbenike koji imaju potencijalno važnu ulogu u objašnjenju dobrobiti zaposlenih roditelja djece s teškoćama u razvoju u RH; preciznije, identificirati čimbenike koji promoviraju i/ili ometaju usklađivanje radnog i obiteljskog života te skupine roditelja. U istraživanju temeljenom na dubinskim intervjuima sudjelovalo je ukupno 25 zaposlenih roditelja (15 majki i 10 očeva) djece s različitim vrstama i stupnjevima teškoća u razvoju. Većina sudionika (N=23) ima jedno dijete, dok dvoje sudionika ima dvoje djece s objektivno dijagnosticiranim teškoćama u razvoju. Većina sudionika (N=21) provedenog istraživanja zaposlena je na puno radno vrijeme. Podatci su analizirani tematskom analizom. Rezultati su ukazali na četiri skupine čimbenika: društvene, organizacijske, obiteljske i osobne, koji, iz perspektive sudionika istraživanja, olakšavaju i/ili otežavaju usklađivanje radne i obiteljske uloge. S obzirom na to da je dobrobit roditelja djece s teškoćama u razvoju snažno oblikovana specifičnim društvenim kontekstom, što otežava poopćavanje rezultata te tematike dobivene u različitim zemljama, rezultati istraživanja provedenog u RH imaju važan teorijski doprinos. Identifikacija i opis relevantnih čimbenika koji omogućuju usklađivanje radne i obiteljske uloge te tako oblikuju dobrobit te skupine roditelja pružaju snažno polazište za kvantitativna istraživanja u tom području. Uz spomenuto rad pruža niz praktičnih implikacija usmjerenih unapređenju dobrobiti te skupine roditelja.
Parents of children with developmental disabilities face numerous challenges and stressors that can negatively impact their well-being. One of the relatively neglected issues, particularly in the national context, is the difficulty of balancing the demands of work and family for this group of parents. Therefore, this paper aimed to gain a deeper insight into the factors that may be important in explaining the well-being of working parents of children with developmental disabilities in Croatia. More specifically, it aimed to identify the factors that promote and/or hinder the reconciliation of work and family life for this group of parents. A total of 25 working parents (15 mothers and 10 fathers) of children with different types and degrees of developmental disabilities participated in the research, which was based on in-depth interviews. Most participants (N=23) have one child, while two of them have two children with objectively diagnosed developmental disabilities. Most of the participants (N=21) are employed full-time. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results indicated four groups of factors: social, organisational, family, and individual, that facilitate and/or hinder the reconciliation of work and family roles from the perspective of study participants. Considering that the well-being of parents of children with developmental disabilities is strongly influenced by the specific social context, which makes it difficult to generalise the insights obtained in different countries, the results of this research conducted in Croatia constitute an important theoretical contribution. The identification and description of relevant factors that enable the reconciliation of work and family roles and thus shape the well-being of this group of parents provide a strong starting point for quantitative research in this area. In addition to the above, the paper provides a number of practical implications aimed at improving the well-being of this group of parents.
The aim of this research was to examine the mediating role of teacher–pupil interaction in the relationship of temperament to self-esteem and school success among year-7 and year-8 elementary-school ...pupils in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina (B&H). The assumptions on the contribution of the dimensions of temperament (self-control and negative affectivity) and teacher–pupil interaction (influence and proximity) in explaining pupils' self-esteem and school success were partially confirmed. Similar relationships among the measured variables were confirmed in both samples of pupils. Self-control, negative affectivity, and teacher proximity directly predicted self-esteem, while self-control indirectly predicted self-esteem through teacher proximity. Self-control and teacher proximity contributed directly to school success, and the indirect contribution of self-control to school success through teacher proximity was also significant. The results of this research indicate the importance of the direct contribution of children's temperaments to their self-esteem and school success, and of its indirect contribution through the quality of the interaction with their teacher.
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