Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator
Background: Family, the child’s first environment, shapes their psycho-emotional balance. The literature links adolescent anxiety to family relationships, interactions, and dynamics. The self-esteem of adolescents appears to protect their mental health. Goal: This study examines whether family cohes...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Children |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/3/338 |
| _version_ | 1827306706111037440 |
|---|---|
| author | Ignatia Farmakopoulou Maria Lekka Evgenia Gkintoni |
| author_facet | Ignatia Farmakopoulou Maria Lekka Evgenia Gkintoni |
| author_sort | Ignatia Farmakopoulou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Family, the child’s first environment, shapes their psycho-emotional balance. The literature links adolescent anxiety to family relationships, interactions, and dynamics. The self-esteem of adolescents appears to protect their mental health. Goal: This study examines whether family cohesion and adaptability affect adolescent anxiety symptoms. It also examines whether teen self-esteem mediates this relationship. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive study included 166 Attica youth aged 12–18 from schools and educational units. The adolescents completed Olson’s FACES-III cohesion and adaptability scale, Spielberger’s STAI-C, Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: Family cohesion, but not adaptability, was negatively correlated with state (<i>rho</i> = −0.25, <i>p</i> = 0.001) and trait (<i>rho</i> = −0.46, <i>p</i> < 0.001) anxiety in the adolescents. Teenagers from extreme families with the lowest cohesion and adaptability had higher trait anxiety (<i>x</i><sup>2</sup>(2) = 6.91, <i>p</i> = 0.032) than those from moderately balanced/balanced families. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between the family cohesion functioning and adolescent’s state anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.005) and trait anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.011). Conclusions: The findings show that family dysfunction negatively impacts adolescent anxiety, as well as their self-esteem, which protects mental balance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:25:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa93574522414a3296ec3d50ce92dd27 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:25:55Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa93574522414a3296ec3d50ce92dd272024-03-27T13:31:10ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672024-03-0111333810.3390/children11030338Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem MediatorIgnatia Farmakopoulou0Maria Lekka1Evgenia Gkintoni2Department of Education and Social Work, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceDepartment of Medicine, University of Athens, 11527 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Psychiatry, University General Hospital of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceBackground: Family, the child’s first environment, shapes their psycho-emotional balance. The literature links adolescent anxiety to family relationships, interactions, and dynamics. The self-esteem of adolescents appears to protect their mental health. Goal: This study examines whether family cohesion and adaptability affect adolescent anxiety symptoms. It also examines whether teen self-esteem mediates this relationship. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive study included 166 Attica youth aged 12–18 from schools and educational units. The adolescents completed Olson’s FACES-III cohesion and adaptability scale, Spielberger’s STAI-C, Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: Family cohesion, but not adaptability, was negatively correlated with state (<i>rho</i> = −0.25, <i>p</i> = 0.001) and trait (<i>rho</i> = −0.46, <i>p</i> < 0.001) anxiety in the adolescents. Teenagers from extreme families with the lowest cohesion and adaptability had higher trait anxiety (<i>x</i><sup>2</sup>(2) = 6.91, <i>p</i> = 0.032) than those from moderately balanced/balanced families. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between the family cohesion functioning and adolescent’s state anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.005) and trait anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.011). Conclusions: The findings show that family dysfunction negatively impacts adolescent anxiety, as well as their self-esteem, which protects mental balance.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/3/338clinical psychologyanxietysystemic therapyfamily functioningadolescencecohesion |
| spellingShingle | Ignatia Farmakopoulou Maria Lekka Evgenia Gkintoni Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator Children clinical psychology anxiety systemic therapy family functioning adolescence cohesion |
| title | Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator |
| title_full | Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator |
| title_fullStr | Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator |
| title_short | Clinical Symptomatology of Anxiety and Family Function in Adolescents—The Self-Esteem Mediator |
| title_sort | clinical symptomatology of anxiety and family function in adolescents the self esteem mediator |
| topic | clinical psychology anxiety systemic therapy family functioning adolescence cohesion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/3/338 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ignatiafarmakopoulou clinicalsymptomatologyofanxietyandfamilyfunctioninadolescentstheselfesteemmediator AT marialekka clinicalsymptomatologyofanxietyandfamilyfunctioninadolescentstheselfesteemmediator AT evgeniagkintoni clinicalsymptomatologyofanxietyandfamilyfunctioninadolescentstheselfesteemmediator |