Naslov
Pilot study of relational aspects of the self and mental health among Croatian adolescents and young adults

Autori
Šutić, Lucija ; Krnić, Ana ; Novak, Miranda

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
European Association for Research on Adolescence conference (EARA)

Mjesto i datum
Dublin, Irska, 24.08.2022. - 27.08.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
relational-esteem ; relational-depression ; mental health

Sažetak
Romantic experiences seem to impact mental health in adolescence and young adulthood, but despite this fact, there is still a lack of research in this area, especially in Croatia. Model of individual differences proposes that this connection is moderated by the personality, including relational aspects of the self, i.e., relational-esteem, relational-depression, and relational-preoccupation. Given that, according to sociometer theory, self-esteem is an evolutionary adaptation which monitors interpersonal relationships, our hypothesis was that higher relational-esteem, lower relational-depression, and lower relational-preoccupation are adaptive behaviours, and that they would be related to better mental health outcomes. Moreover, being in a relationship serves as a proof of relational value and would also be related to better mental health. Therefore, the main aim of our pilot study was to examine whether relationship status and the relational aspects of the self predict mental health of Croatian adolescents and young adults. The study was conducted in Croatia in spring 2021. 194 adolescents and young adults, whose mean age was 19, participated in the online survey. 78% of our sample were women and 62% of our participants stated that they are in a romantic relationship. In addition to answering demographic questions and the question regarding their relationship status, participants completed the DASS-21 questionnaire and the Relational Assessment Questionnaire. In order to test our hypothesis, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. In the first step of the analysis, participant’s age significantly predicted the overall score on the DASS-21 questionnaire (ΔF(2, 191) = 6, 119 ; p < , 01), while adding relationship status in the second step of the analysis didn’t result in a significant increase of the explained variance (ΔF(1, 190) = , 277 ; p > , 05). Finally, in the third step relational-esteem, relational-depression, and relational-preoccupation were added into the model (ΔF(3, 187) = 18, 200 ; p < , 001) and relational- depression proved to be a significant predictor of the DASS-21 overall score (β = , 486 ; p < , 001). Our model explained 25% of the variance of the overall score on the DASS-21, suggesting that adolescents and those with higher levels of relational-depression struggle more with mental health. These findings indicate that it is very important to study romantic relationships in adolescence and young adulthood, especially in times, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mental health is endangered.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija, Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijske znanosti, Interdisciplinarne društvene znanosti

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