Carla Crespo

Parents of children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) face challenges associated with their child’s chronic condition, which can be time-consuming and highly stressful. However, so far, there are no studies assessing parental burnout in parents of children with CF. This study examined correlates of parental burnout in 33 parents of children and adolescents with CF, analyzing their perceptions about their child’s condition, its perceived impact on the family, and parental burnout. The participants were 33 parents who completed self-reported questionnaires regarding their perceptions of the severity of their child’s condition and its impact on their daily lives, the perceived impact of the condition on the family, and parental burnout. Results showed a positive association between parents’ perception of the severity of their child’s condition and parental burnout. Additionally, this association was moderated by the perceived impact of CF on the family. For parents who perceived a higher effect of CF on the family, the association between parents’ perception of condition severity and parental burnout was stronger. This study’s findings contribute to our understanding of the experiences of families with children with CF and improve professionals’ ability to intervene and support them.

Psychological violence directly affects the emotional health of families. This study aims to discuss the different types of psychological violence present in families attending psychotherapy and their repercussions on the emotional health of family members. Reports on ten families with low socioeconomic status in Rio de Janeiro, composed of adults, children, and adolescents, attending the Applied Psychology Service of a university between 2014 and 2023, were analyzed. The records include reports of family assessment sessions, transcripts of the Structured Family Interview (SFI), and a sociobiographical form. A thematic clinical-qualitative analysis of the material extracted from the records was carried out. From the results obtained, the category of psychological violence was divided into the following subcategories: ridicule and humiliation; threats and embarrassment; destructive parentification; and incestuality. Repercussions of psychological violence on the emotional health of the family and difficulties in identifying the violence suffered by family members were observed.

Family rituals are universal and spontaneous events carried out by families worldwide. The meaning associated with family rituals can greatly benefit individuals and families. A robust body of research, coupled with ongoing theoretical developments, has paved the way for family rituals to become a well‐established construct within family science. I revisit past theoretical core contributions and suggest a new, mid‐range theoretical model of family rituals, grounded in family systems theory. This model identifies security and identity as building blocks for creating meaningful family rituals and as general processes through which the meaning of these events is associated with health and well‐being outcomes at three different systemic levels. Family cohesion, perceived relational efficacy, and sense of belonging are conceptualized as three additional specific processes that connect the meaning of family rituals to improved outcomes for families, couples/parents, and individuals. In conclusion, I reflect upon the model's potential contributions for advancing further theory and research.

A robust body of research provides evidence of a strong connection between identity development and age-related functioning. A sense of financial identity may be an important precursor of adult self-sufficiency. For this reason, the study of financial identity (i.e., the answer to the question “Who am I from a financial point of view?”) as a domain-specific component of identity development during the transition to adulthood is a timely and important topic worldwide. In order to properly investigate the financial identity domain, a reliable and valid instrument is needed. The aim of the current study is to test both a variable-centered model and a person-centered model of the 12-item Financial Identity Scale in an international sample of 4,960 emerging adults from ten different countries: Austria, Finland, Hungary, India, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and the United States. The variable-centered model of the Financial Identity Scale suggests that the 12 items measure four latent factors, each corresponding to a different identity status: achievement, foreclosure, diffusion, and moratorium. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this model in seven out of ten countries, and approximate measurement invariance indicated that Financial Identity Scale scores were comparable across these countries. The person-centered model of the Financial Identity Scale suggests that the four statuses of financial identity present three different configurations in the population: pathfinders, followers, and drifters. The latent profile analysis conducted in the current study identified four distinct profiles, the first three of which correspond to those in the original model, and a fourth which was labelled “Indecisive”. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The present study focuses on the role of family support to young adult children during COVID‐19 in ameliorating the negative financial impact of the pandemic. Guided by the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory of stress and coping, we conceptualize the negative financial impact due to COVID‐19 as a source of financial stress that would be associated with lower levels of both financial wellbeing and positive outlook of young adults. We rely on data collected from a multinational sample of young adults (ages 18–30) from six countries (China, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, US; N = 2102) over a 3‐month period (July 2020–September 2020). We tested the potential effects of two types of support (i.e., parental financial support and family emotional support) using path analysis. While we find a consistent positive association between family emotional support and both financial wellbeing and positive outlook, we also find a consistent negative association between parental financial support and financial wellbeing, and a nonsignificant or negative association (Lithuania only) with a positive outlook. The significant interaction between COVID‐19 financial impact and family emotional support on young adults' positive outlook reveals that the benefit of family emotional support is more evident when the negative financial impact is low or moderate. We discuss the implications of these findings in assisting young adults to cope with financial disruptions.

A multidimensional model of emerging adults’ subjective financial well-being was proposed (Sorgente and Lanz, Int Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(5), 466–478 2019). The authors also developed a 5-factor scale (the Multidimensional Subjective Financial Well-being Scale, MSFWBS) intending to measure this construct in the European context. To date, data using this instrument have been collected in nine countries: Austria, Canada, Finland, India, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Turkey. In the current study, data from these countries were analysed to test the validity of this model internationally. In particular, using an international sample of 4,475 emerging adults, we collected the following kinds of validity evidence for the MSFWBS: score structure, reliability, generalizability, convergent, and criterion-related evidence. Findings suggest that the MSFWBS (1) yields valid and reliable scores, and (2) works well in individualistic and economically developed countries, producing comparable scores. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Young people and their families around the world are especially vulnerable to macroeconomic hard times. This study sought to provide a more comprehensive view on how families with emerging adult children can successfully overcome economic distress. Specifically, we examined the links between economic strain—that is, the subjective perceptions of one's current and future financial situation—family ritual meaning, family problem‐solving communication, and quality of life, as reported by emerging adults and their parents. Data were collected from 1017 individuals nested in 334 families living in Portugal in 2016/2017. Results from multilevel modeling provided evidence for a negative impact of economic strain on family members' quality of life (β = −0.30, p < 0.001); and for the role of family ritual meaning (β = 0.01, p = 0.022), but not family problem‐solving communication, as a buffer against the negative effect of economic strain on quality of life. Findings also suggested that the subjective evaluations that family members formulated about their financial situations played a greater role than objective economic conditions (e.g., income) in establishing a deeper understanding on the impact of economic demands on individuals and families' lives in today's complex financial world. This study provides a significant contribution to family economic stress research, advancing family ritual meaning as a key family dynamic contributing to positive adaptation to economic distress. The implications of these findings for clinical interventions include the potential benefits of symbolic forms of family communication in the work carried out with economically stressed family members.