AUTHOR=Yang Zhe , Cui Yi , Yang Yifan , Wang Yue , Zhang Haiyue , Liang Ying , Zhang Yuhai , Shang Lei 

TITLE=The Relationship Between Mental Health Problems and Systemic Family Dynamics Among High School and University Students in Shaanxi Province, China

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 66 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.1603988

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2021.1603988

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objectives The aim of this study was to correlate relationships between systemic family dynamics and mental health and to explore family factors that influence adolescent mental health in Shaanxi, China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 7 middle schools and 2 colleges in Shaanxi to sample adolescents aged 12-23 in 2014. The 5435 participants completed the Self-rating Scale of Systemic Family Dynamics, the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, and general demographic questionnaires. Results: Being male and living in a nuclear family in a town or city were associated with better mental health and with better family dynamic scores compared to being female, living rurally and living in a multigenerational family. The total score of family dynamics were positively correlated with mental health problem scores. The structural equation modelling suggested that basic adolescent and family characteristics have a partial intermediate effect on mental health, mediated via family dynamics. Conclusions: Family dynamics may be an important contributor to adolescent mental health. Therefore, education and interventions aimed at improving family dynamics may be useful for reducing the prevalence of mental health problems amongst adolescents.