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Biomedical subjects

D T Shek

Publications and source records attributed to D T Shek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Reliability and factor structure of the Chinese version of the Self-report Family Inventory in Chinese adolescents.

The Chinese version (C-SFI) of the Self-Report Family Inventory (SFI) was administered to 3,649 Chinese adolescents. Results showed that the C-SFI is internally consistent. Factor analyses revealed that two factors were abstracted from the scale (positive family behavior and negative family behavior), and they could reliably be reproduced in different adolescent subsamples based on gender and grade. Contrary to the previous findings that there are five to six dimensions of the SFI, the present findings show that the C-SFI has two dimensions. This study suggests that clinical practitioners should be cautious in using the subscales in the SFI, particularly for the Chinese.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

The General Functioning Scale of the Family Assessment Device: does it work with Chinese adolescents?

The reliability and validity of the General Functioning (GF) Scale of the Chinese version of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) were examined in three studies. In Study 1, data based on 361 adolescents showed that the GF scale was temporally stable and internally consistent, and there was support for its concurrent and construct validities. In Study 2, data analyzed from a clinical group and a nonclinical group (N = 281 and 451, respectively) showed that the GF scores were able to discriminate these two groups. With data pertaining to 3649 secondary-school students, Study 3 gives support for the internal consistency, concurrent validity, and construct validity of the GF scale in different adolescent samples. These studies strongly suggest that the GF scale of the FAD possesses good psychometric properties in different Chinese adolescent samples.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Paternal and maternal influences on family functioning among Hong Kong Chinese families.

The linkages between dyadic relationships in the family and family functioning were examined in 378 Chinese families on two occasions. The following dyadic relationships were investigated: (a) parent-child relationship qualities reported by adolescent children (questionnaire and interview measures of parenting style, parent-adolescent conflict, parent-adolescent communication, and parent-adolescent relationship) and by their parents (questionnaire measures of parent-child relationship quality and demand); and (b) marital quality reported by the parents via questionnaire measures. Results showed that parents' and children's views of family functioning were longitudinally related to dyadic relationships in the family. Relative to mother-adolescent relationship and mothers' report of marital quality, father-adolescent relationship and fathers' report of marital quality were generally found to have a stronger association with perception of family functioning and its change over time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior: a longitudinal study in a Chinese context.

This longitudinal study examined the relationships between parent-adolescent conflict and antisocial and prosocial behavior in Chinese adolescents. Results showed that father-adolescent conflict and mother-adolescent conflict were concurrently related to adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior. Longitudinal analyses showed that parent-adolescent conflict predicted antisocial behavior but not prosocial behavior. Adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior was also found to be related to father-adolescent conflict across time. The findings suggest that the linkage between father-adolescent conflict and adolescent social behavior is stronger than that between mother-adolescent conflict and adolescent social behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Parental, peer, and teacher influences on the social behavior of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents.

Intensive interviews and self-report questionnaires were used to investigate parental, peer, and teacher influences on the prosocial and antisocial behaviors of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. Students came from 5 academically different high schools. Results indicated that perceived parental influence was positively associated with frequency of prosocial behavior and negatively associated with frequency of delinquent behavior. Students with good relationships with their parents and peers showed lower frequencies of antisocial behaviors than did students with bad relationships. Adolescents in different identity statuses (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, diffusion; E. H. Erikson, 1968) showed different patterns of prosocial and antisocial behaviors. For example, adolescents in the identity achievement group exhibited high frequencies of prosocial behaviors and low frequencies of antisocial behaviors, but those in the identity moratorium group exhibited quite high frequencies of both prosocial and antisocial behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in Australian adolescents: comparisons with worldwide data.

Data from two Australian studies were combined so that the prevalence of anxiety and depression in a large, normative sample of Australian adolescents could be investigated. The combined sample comprised 1,299 adolescents randomly selected from metropolitan and country schools in Melbourne, a large Australian city. The data were examined in order to ascertain the percentages of adolescents who scored above the clinical cut-off on two self-report instruments--the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (C. R. Reynolds & B. O. Richmond, 1985) and the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (W. M. Reynolds, 1986). The results of these analyses were then compared with previously reported prevalence rates from studies worldwide. This comparison revealed striking differences in the prevalence of anxiety and depression across different countries and cultures. Limitations attributable to different self-report measures and imposed-etic approaches are discussed. Issues pertaining to social and political climate are also raised.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Differences between fathers and mothers in the treatment of, and relationship with, their teenage children: perceptions of Chinese adolescents.

Chinese adolescents' perceptions of differences between mothers and fathers in parenting styles, parent-adolescent communication (frequency and related feelings), and quality of the parent-adolescent relationship were assessed via questionnaires and individual interviews. Fathers, as compared with mothers, were perceived to be less responsive, less demanding, to demonstrate less concern, but to be more harsh, and paternal parenting was less liked. There was less communication with fathers, and adolescents reported more negative feelings when communicating with fathers than with mothers. They evaluated the father-adolescent relationship more negatively than they did the mother-adolescent relationship. Adolescent females, as compared with males, perceived their parents to be more demanding but less harsh. Parenting characteristics were rated less favorably across time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Parenting characteristics and adolescent psychological well-being: a longitudinal study in a Chinese context.

In this longitudinal study, the relationships between perceived parenting characteristics and adolescent psychological well-being were examined in a sample of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents (N = 378). The results indicated that global parenting styles and specific parenting behaviors are concurrently related to hopelessness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, purpose in life, and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 1 and Time 2. Longitudinal and prospective analyses (Time 1 predictors of Time 2 criterion variables) suggested that the relations between parenting characteristics and adolescent psychological well-being are bidirectional in nature. The results indicated that the strengths of association between perceived parenting characteristics and adolescent psychological well-being are stronger in female than in male adolescents. Relative to maternal parenting characteristics, paternal parenting was found to exert a stronger influence on adolescent psychological well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Paternal and maternal influences on the psychological well-being of Chinese adolescents.

Adolescents' (N = 378) perceptions of and satisfaction with parenting styles, perceived parent-adolescent conflict, perceived frequency of parent-adolescent communication and related feelings, perceived parent-adolescent relationship, and mental health were assessed with rating scales and structured interviews on 2 occasions separated by 1 year. Results showed that the questionnaire and interview measures at each time could be grouped into 2 stable factors: Paternal Parenthood Qualities (PPQ) and Maternal Parenthood Qualities (MPQ). Although both factors generally had significant concurrent and longitudinal correlations with adolescents' mental health, PPQ at Time 1-predicted changes in adolescent life satisfaction, hopelessness, self-esteem, purpose in life, and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 2, whereas MPQ at Time 1 did not predict those changes. Adolescents' mental health at Time 1 was found to predict changes in MPQ but not PPQ at Time 2. Relative to maternal qualities, paternal qualities were generally found to exert a stronger impact on adolescent psychological well-being.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Conceptions of success: their correlates with prosocial orientation and behaviour in Chinese adolescents.

Data from a sample of 673 Chinese adolescents lent support to the hypothesis that conceptions of success or achievement goals affect both the inclination to and the actual performance of prosocial acts. With regard to attitude, it was found that: (a) task orientation (belief that success is gaining skill or understanding) and collaboration orientation (belief that success is working productively with one or more collaborators) increased with the inclination to help others, to co-operate and share things with others, to maintain an affective relationship with others, and to behave in compliance with social norms; and (b) ego orientation (belief that success is establishing one's competence as superior) was not generally associated with the inclination to perform prosocial acts. With regard to action, it was found that task orientation and collaboration orientation, but not ego orientation, increased with the number of normative and altruistic acts in the past year. The similarity between the belief-attitude correlation and the belief-action correlation indicates the robustness of the influence of conceptions of success. Also, sex differences and grade differences in the relationship between conceptions of success and prosocial and antisocial behaviours were found. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Achievement↗
PubMed1998

A longitudinal study of the relations between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being.

In this longitudinal study, the relationships between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being were examined in a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 378) via children's and parents' reports of parent-adolescent conflict. The results indicate that parent-adolescent conflict based on ratings obtained from the different sources was concurrently related to hopelessness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, purpose in life, and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 1 and Time 2. Longitudinal and prospective analyses (Time 1 predictors of Time 2 criterion variables) suggest that the relations between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being are bidirectional. Although the strengths of association between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being were similar for male and female adolescents, father-adolescent conflict, relative to mother-adolescent conflict, was found to exert a stronger influence on adolescent psychological well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

A longitudinal study of Hong Kong adolescents' and parents' perceptions of family functioning and well-being.

In this longitudinal study, the relationships between Hong Kong Chinese adolescents' and parents' discrepancies in their perceptions of family functioning and adolescents' psychological well-being were investigated via adolescents' and parents' reports of family functioning (N = 378 families). Results showed that discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning between adolescents and parents were related to adolescents' feelings of hopelessness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, purpose in life, and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 1 and Time 2. Longitudinal and prospective analyses (Time 1 predictors predicting Time 2 criterion variables) suggested that the relationship between discrepancies in perceptions of family functioning and adolescents' psychological well-being are bidirectional. Adolescent-father and adolescent-mother discrepancies had similar effects on adolescents' psychological well-being. The negative impact of discrepancies among family members in perceptions of family functioning on adolescents' psychological well-being was greater for adolescent girls than for adolescent boys.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Adolescents' perceptions of paternal and maternal parenting styles in a Chinese context.

Chinese secondary school students (N = 429) were asked to respond to instruments measuring their perception of parents' global parenting styles and specific parenting practices. Results showed that there were significant differences between reported paternal parenting and maternal parenting characteristics, with fathers perceived as relatively less responsive, less demanding, less concerned, and more harsh. Adolescent girls' perceptions of fathers' parenting characteristics generally did not differ from those of the boys, but the girls tended to perceive their mothers as more demanding but less harsh. The present findings provide some support for the popular Chinese saying, "strict father, kind mother," but they also suggest that it requires redefinition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Family environment and adolescent psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior: a pioneer study in a Chinese context.

Chinese secondary school students (N = 365) responded to instruments measuring their family environment, psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior. Measures of the family environment include perceived paternal and maternal parenting styles, family functioning, and conflict with father and mother. Results from bivariate and canonical correlation analyses showed that in general, adolescents' perceptions of parenting styles, family functioning, and parent-adolescent conflict were significantly related to scores on measures of psychological well-being (general psychiatric morbidity, life satisfaction, purpose in life, hopelessness, and self-esteem), school adjustment (perceived academic performance and school conduct), and problem behavior (smoking and psychotropic drug abuse). The findings suggest that family factors play an important role in influencing the psychosocial adjustment, particularly the positive mental health, of Chinese adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The relation of family functioning to adolescent psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior.

The association between family functioning and adolescent adjustment was examined in 429 Chinese adolescents via children's and parents' reports. The ratings obtained from the different sources indicated that family functioning was significantly related to measures of (a) adolescent psychological well-being (general psychiatric morbidity, life satisfaction, purpose in life, hopelessness, and self-esteem), (b) school adjustment (perceived academic performance and school conduct), and (c) problem behavior (smoking and abusing psychotropic drugs). The findings suggest that there is an intimate link between family functioning and the psychosocial adjustment, particularly the positive mental health, of Chinese adolescents.

Achievement↗
PubMed1996

The relation of prosocial and antisocial behavior to personality and peer relationships of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents.

The prosocial and antisocial behaviors of 2,862 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents were investigated. The major findings were as follows: (a) boys were more antisocial than girls: (b) negative peer influences were significantly stronger in boys than in girls, whereas positive peer influences were significantly stronger in girls than in boys; (c) antisocial adolescents tended to perceive their best friend as antisocial and exerting more negative influences on them, whereas prosocial adolescents tended to perceive their best friend as prosocial and exerting more positive influences on them; (d) antisocial behavior was positively associated with psychoticism and neuroticism; and (e) academic achievement tended to have a positive relation with prosocial behavior and a negative relation with antisocial behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Midlife crisis in Chinese men and women.

Married adults (N = 1,501) between the ages of 30 and 60 years responded to the 15-item Chinese Midlife Crisis Scale. An examination of the levels of concerns in six midlife age groups showed that although some respondents were dissatisfied with their work and personal achievement, a majority did not indicate dissatisfaction at the crisis level; thus the findings did not lend strong support to the existence of normative midlife crisis. The findings also revealed that although midlife crisis levels were different in the various age groups, there was no clear rise of peak in concerns in any particular age group. Further analyses based on different dimensions of midlife crisis showed that women displayed higher levels of overall midlife concerns and problems and fear of aging than men did.

Adult↗