Strength‐based parenting and stress‐related growth in adolescents: Exploring the role of positive reappraisal, school belonging, and emotional processing during the pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has changed the way families live, interact, and connect with others, resulting in higher levels of stress for many teenagers who struggle with the ongoing uncertainty and disrupted school and family life. The current study examined the psychosocial factors that influence the capacity of adolescents to grow through the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The sample included 404 secondary school students ranging in age from 11 to 18 (M = 14.75, SD = 1.59; 50.2% female, 46.8% male, and 3% non-/other gendered or declined to answer) from an independent high school in Australia. Data were collected from a battery of questionnaires that assessed strength-based parenting (SBP) and the effect of three psychosocial factors (positive reappraisal, emotional processing, and school belonging) on stress-related growth. Results: Structural equation modeling showed that (SBP) was significantly associated with stress-related growth (SRG). Positive reappraisal and emotional processing were also positively and significantly associated with SRG and mediated the effect of SBP on SRG. Moreover, school belonging was positively linked to positive coping, emotional processing, and SRG, as well as mediating the association of SBP with positive reappraisal, emotional processing, and SRG in adolescents during the pandemic. Conclusions: The results show that teenagers can experience SRG during the COVID-19 pandemic, and adolescents adapting by engaging in constructive coping responses such as positive reappraisal and emotional processing is positively related to SRG.

Embedding Well-being into School: A Case Study of Positive Education Before and During COVID-19 Lockdowns

“…However, they also found some supporting factors to online learning including helpful course programs and private space. Allen et al (2022) found that students leaning from home coped with their stress more effectively if they still felt a sense of belonging to school and if they had parents who helped them use their strengths.…”

“…Relationships: Maintaining relationships is critical during remote learning (Allen et al, 2022) and the school devotes time to keeping the students connected through virtual extracurricular activities such as inviting the girls to join groups that attend virtual gallery visits, virtual zoo tours, and virtual aquarium expeditions. These groups have been set up after school hours so that the girls can share a social experience and chat online in an informal way.…”

Direct and Indirect Effects of Strength-Based Parenting on Depression in Chinese High School Students: Mediation by Cognitive Reappraisal and Expression Suppression

“… 11 , 21 , 25 Moreover, strength-based parenting has been shown to be positively associated with positive reappraisal and emotion processing. 39 Hence, we suspect that strength-based parenting is not only positively linked to cognitive reappraisal, but also negatively related to expression suppression.…”

Parental Home Monitoring and Support and Students’ Online Learning and Socioemotional Well-Being During COVID-19 School Suspension in Hong Kong

“…Before the pandemic, some schools may have experienced a tension between prioritizing students’ academic achievement and enhancing students’ socioemotional well-being. However, the school suspension has challenged this bifurcation because students need to have high levels of socioemotional well-being to be adaptive during sustained home-based online learning without face-to-face social support from friends and teachers ( Durna and Kosterelioglu, 2021 ; Allen et al, 2022 ). The knowledge gleaned from research on students’ socioemotional well-being during the school suspension can inform the design of school-based support programs that enhance students’ self-efficacy, cognitive-emotional self-regulation, and ability to cope with anxiety ( Anderson et al, 2021 ; Hatzichristou et al, 2021 ; Lorenzo et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…There is empirical evidence that parental involvement influences students’ socioemotional well-being during the pandemic-induced school suspension when teaching and learning is conducted online. Allen et al’s (2022) study of secondary school students in Australia found that when parents focused on identifying and cultivating their children’s positive attributes, students became more adaptive and resilient during the pandemic. Furthermore, students’ positive reappraisal and emotional processing was significantly associated with their stress-related growth, and these psychological factors mediated the effects of strength-based parenting on their growth.…”