Associations between parent-child relationship, self-esteem, and resilience with life satisfaction and mental wellbeing of adolescents

Vu Anh Trong Dam; Ha Ngoc Do; Thao Bich Thi Vu; Khanh Long Vu; Hoang Minh Do; Nga Thu Thi Nguyen; Tham Thi Nguyen; Thuc Minh Thi Vu; Thao Phuong Thi Nguyen; Pascal Auquier; Laurent Boyer; Guillaume Fond; Carl A Latkin; Cyrus S H Ho; Roger C M Ho

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1012337

Associations between parent-child relationship, self-esteem, and resilience with life satisfaction and mental wellbeing of adolescents

Front Public Health. 2023 Jan 24:11:1012337. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1012337. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Vu Anh Trong Dam^{1

2}, Ha Ngoc Do^{3

4}, Thao Bich Thi Vu³, Khanh Long Vu³, Hoang Minh Do³, Nga Thu Thi Nguyen⁵, Tham Thi Nguyen^{1

2}, Thuc Minh Thi Vu⁶, Thao Phuong Thi Nguyen^{1

2}, Pascal Auquier⁷, Laurent Boyer⁷, Guillaume Fond⁷, Carl A Latkin⁸, Cyrus S H Ho⁹, Roger C M Ho^{9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
² Faculty of Nursing, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
³ Youth Research Institute, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁴ Vietnam Youth Academy, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁵ Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi Metropolitan University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁶ Institute of Health Economics and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁷ EA 3279, CEReSS, Research Centre on Health Services and Quality of Life, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.
⁸ Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
⁹ Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁰ Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

Abstract

Purpose: Mental wellbeing and life satisfaction play an important role in the development of adolescents, yet factors potentially influencing these states have not been sufficiently studied, especially in Vietnam. This study aims to fill the research gaps by exploring the associations of the parent-child relationship, self-esteem, and resilience on the mental wellbeing and satisfaction with life of adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2020 on 1,023 adolescents from 10 to 18 years old living in Vietnam. To assess the satisfaction with life as well as the mental wellbeing of participants, this study used the Satisfaction with life and The World Health Organization-Five Wellbeing Index scale.

Results: More than 70% of participants reported having conflicts with their parents (74.6% of those conflicted with their father ad 73.9% of those conflicted with their mother), while 26.3% stated dissatisfaction with life. The mean score of mental wellbeing was 61.5 (SD = 23.0). Higher academic performance, self-esteem, resilience, encounter loneliness and isolation within own family, and having support and sharing from family members had a positive effect on life satisfaction and mental wellbeing. Female participants had higher satisfaction with life score (Coef = 0.77; 95%CI = 0.10; 1.44) but they had a lower mental wellbeing score (Coef = -6.00; 95%CI = -8.57; -3.44) than male participants. High school students had lower both satisfaction with life and mental wellbeing scores than secondary students.

Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of being aware of the influence that expectations (of higher grades) and bias (toward male children) imposed by parents, teachers, and society on the mental wellbeing of youths, especially in Asian cultures. Strengthening the family bond and encouraging young people to share their feeling is also crucial to enhancing the mental health condition of adolescents.

Keywords: Vietnam; adolescent; mental wellbeing; multilevel predictors; satisfaction with life; youth.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Health*
Mothers
Parent-Child Relations
Personal Satisfaction*

Grants and funding

Research was supported by the Youth Research Institute, NUS Department of Psychological Medicine (R-177-000-100-001/R-177-000-003-001/ R177000702733) and NUS iHeathtech Other Operating Expenses (R-722-000-004-731). The article process charge of this paper was supported by the NUS Department of Psychological Medicine (R-177-000-100-001/R-177-000-003-001/ R177000702733), NUS iHeathtech Other Operating Expenses (R-722-000-004-731).