Qiaobing Wu

Overweight, body image, and depression in Asian and Hispanic adolescents.

OBJECTIVES To prospectively investigate associations between overweight and depressive symptoms in Asian and Hispanic adolescents. METHODS Data included 780 Hispanic and 375 Asian students. Structural equation model was used to prospectively explore moderation effects of gender, ethnicity, and acculturation on associations of overweight, body image dissatisfaction, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS Significant mediation effect was found only in Asian girls (mediation effect = 0.16, P < 0.05) and girls with high acculturation (mediation effect = 0.17, P < 0.05). Overweight significantly predicted higher body image dissatisfaction, which in turn was significantly related to depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our findings help understanding the association of overweight and experience of depressive symptoms.

The Protective Functions of Relationships, Social Support and Self-Esteem in the Life Satisfaction of Children of Migrant Workers in Shanghai, China

Background: At present, China has approximately 20 million migrant school-aged children accompanying their parents in relocating to the cities. However, very little is known about them. Using a resilience framework, the present study attempted to examine the psychosocial factors affecting their life satisfaction in Shanghai, China. Methods: A total of 625 migrant children were recruited from 10 schools in Shanghai through a cross-sectional survey design using multi-stage cluster sampling method. The questionnaire included measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, social support, relationships at school and the parent—child and peer relationships. Results: Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to explore the relative effects of different relationship domains, self-esteem and social support on the life satisfaction of migrant children. The results suggested that parent—child and peer relationships significantly influenced the life satisfaction of children of migrant workers. Relationships in school did not exert such effect. Both social support and self-esteem had significant effects on the life satisfaction of migrant children. Conclusions: Relationship factors, social support and self-esteem are critical factors affecting the life satisfaction of migrant children. The findings and implications were discussed in relation to developmental and migration-related issues and the social contexts of the lives of children of migrant workers in Shanghai, China.BACKGROUND At present, China has approximately 20 million migrant school-aged children accompanying their parents in relocating to the cities. However, very little is known about them. Using a resilience framework, the present study attempted to examine the psychosocial factors affecting their life satisfaction in Shanghai, China. METHODS A total of 625 migrant children were recruited from 10 schools in Shanghai through a cross-sectional survey design using multi-stage cluster sampling method. The questionnaire included measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, social support, relationships at school and the parent-child and peer relationships. RESULTS Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to explore the relative effects of different relationship domains, self-esteem and social support on the life satisfaction of migrant children. The results suggested that parent-child and peer relationships significantly influenced the life satisfaction of children of migrant workers. Relationships in school did not exert such effect. Both social support and self-esteem had significant effects on the life satisfaction of migrant children. CONCLUSIONS Relationship factors, social support and self-esteem are critical factors affecting the life satisfaction of migrant children. The findings and implications were discussed in relation to developmental and migration-related issues and the social contexts of the lives of children of migrant workers in Shanghai, China.

Understanding the effect of social capital on the depression of urban Chinese adolescents: an integrative framework.

Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study of 5,164 adolescents and their parents from seven cities in mainland China, this study investigated how social capital embedded in the family and the community, together with family human capital and financial capital, influenced the depressive symptoms of urban Chinese adolescents within an integrative framework. The structural equation modeling results suggested that higher community social capital was associated with lower level of adolescent depressive symptoms and was the strongest predictor among all these contextual factors. Family social capital played a significant role in mediating the effects of all other contextual factors on adolescent depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, higher family financial capital predicted increased depressive symptoms both directly and indirectly through its negative effect on family social capital. As for gender, female adolescents reported more depressive symptoms as a result of less available family social capital. Implications of these findings for theory, practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

Social capital and the mental health of children in rural China with different experiences of parental migration.

Children migrating to urban cities with their parents and children left behind in rural counties by their migrant parents are two vulnerable populations resulting from the rural-urban migration in mainland China. Some of these children even have mixed experiences of being left-behind and being migrants at different times. This study aimed to investigate how the various experiences of being left-behind, migrant, or both, might influence the mental health of children in the context of rural China. Moreover, it investigated how these effects might be mediated by the stock of social capital in their family and neighborhood. Data used in this study came from a questionnaire survey with a school-based multi-stage random sample of 701 children (aged 8-17 years) living in the rural counties of Guizhou province in 2013. The structural equation modeling results suggested that, compared to those rural children who lived with both parents and have never experienced migration or being left-behind, children who are currently left-behind, either with or without previous experience of being a migrant, appeared to exhibit higher levels of depression. However, children who had previously been left-behind, but lived with both parents at the time of study, tended to experience fewer depressive symptoms. Parental migration also influenced childrens mental health through the mediating effects of family and community social capital. These research findings imply developing intervention and prevention programs tailored to different groups of children in rural China with a focus on fostering the growth of social capital using various strategies.

Longitudinal analysis of weight perception and psychological factors in Chinese adolescents.

OBJECTIVES To investigate associations of overweight status and perception with trajectories of psychological distress in adolescents. METHODS Longitudinal data for 6970 Chinese adolescents were included. The multivariate curve-of-factor latent growth curve models were adopted to examine trajectories of psychological distress symptoms and associations with overweight status and perception. RESULTS After controlling for actual overweight status, psychological distress symptoms were weakly but significantly associated with overweight perception (γ = 0.08 for boys and γ = 0.10 for girls, P < 0.05) and misperception (γ = 0.06 for boys and γ = 0.09 for girls, P < 0.05). DISCUSSION Our findings help understanding associations of overweight perception and psychological well being of adolescents.

Perceptions of faith and outcomes in faith-based programs for homeless youth : A grounded theory approach

Abstract This study sought to determine which “faith” elements exist in faith-based programs for homeless youth and how these concepts are defined according to staff and youth clients. Descriptions of client outcomes across programs are also explored. Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 staff and 11 clients from 11 faith-based programs for homeless youth in Los Angeles. Common themes that emerged include using faith to instill hope in clients, non-church-related religious practices and spiritual growth in clients. Grounded theory is used to interpret findings and develop hypotheses to inform future research on faith and outcomes. Implications for social work are offered to guide practitioners and researchers in designing, implementing and evaluating effective faith-based practices for homeless youth. doi:10.1300/J079v33n04_03

Effects of Social Capital in Multiple Contexts on the Psychosocial Adjustment of Chinese Migrant Children

Drawing upon a sample of 772 migrant children and their parents in Shanghai, China, this study used an ecological framework to investigate how social capital embedded in a range of social contexts (i.e., family, school, peer, and community) influenced the psychosocial adjustment of Chinese migrant children. Using structural equation modeling with latent variables, the study results suggested that higher levels of family, school, and peer social capital were all associated with better psychosocial adjustment of migrant children, with school social capital showing the strongest effect. In addition, these three dimensions of social capital also mediated the effect of community social capital on children’s psychosocial adjustment. Implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research were discussed.

Social Service Utilization, Sense of Community, Family Functioning and the Mental Health of New Immigrant Women in Hong Kong

Drawing upon a sample of 296 new immigrant women in Hong Kong, this study investigated how social service utilization, family functioning, and sense of community influenced the depressive symptoms of new immigrant women. Results of the structural equation modeling suggested that family functioning and sense of community were both significantly and negatively associated with the depression of new immigrant women. Utilization of community services also influenced the depression of immigrant women indirectly through the mediating effect of sense of community. Implications of the research findings for mental health intervention were discussed.

Contributions of family and neighbourhood factors to the mental health of migrant children in China: implications for policy and services

Drawing upon a sample of 806 migrant children in Beijing, China, this study investigated how community social capital, family social support, family human capital and family financial capital influenced the mental health of Chinese migrant children. Using structural equation modelling with latent variables, the study results suggested that higher levels of family social support were associated with better mental health of migrant children. Family social support also mediated the effect of community social capital on childrens mental health. Family human capital and family financial capital both contributed to childrens mental health through their significant effects on community social capital. However, family financial capital was negatively associated with family social support, resulting in an unexpected, indirect negative effect on childrens mental health. Implications of these findings for social policy and social services were discussed.

Parenting variables associated with growth mindset: An examination of three Chinese-heritage samples.

An incremental theory of intelligence (TOI), the belief that intelligence is malleable and can be improved through effort, is associated with children’s academic achievement, mastery goals, and overall psychological well-being. Although the positive impact of TOI is well established, less is known about socialization factors such as parenting that foster these orientations. We posited that both autonomy support (AS) and psychological control (PC) may promote incremental TOI among Chinese heritage fourth- to fifth-grade children and their mothers where socialization has largely been characterized as low in AS and high in PC. However, we examined the possibility that these associations may differ across contexts within the Chinese Diaspora (Beijing, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles) as child rearing evolves as a function of rapid social change and immigration. A multiple-group structural equation model revealed a positive association between child-report of maternal PC and child incremental TOI across all three samples (&bgr;BJ = .37, p < .001; &bgr;HK = .17, p < .05; &bgr;LA = .26, p < .01) and a positive association between child-report of maternal AS and incremental TOI in Hong Kong only (&bgr;HK = .41, p < .001). Consistent with past studies, children’s perceptions of parenting were more proximal to child beliefs than mothers’ reports of their own behaviors. These results are discussed in connection with the literature on the dynamic role of culture in shaping parenting and associated developmental outcomes in Asian and Asian American contexts.