Understanding adolescents’ perceived social responsibility: The role of family cohesion, interdependent self-construal, and social trust

Wing Yee Cheng, Rebecca Y.M. Cheung*, Kevin Kien Hoa Chung

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: Positive family interactions contribute to the development of social responsibility among adolescents. Interdependent self-construal and social trust, which reflect the perceived relatedness and beliefs towards others, may explain the relation between family cohesion and social responsibility. The present study tested the mediating mechanisms between family cohesion and adolescents’ social responsibility via adolescents’ interdependent self-construal and social trust. Methods: A total of 386 Chinese children in Hong Kong (52.07% girls, Mage = 13.64 years) and their parents completed self-report questionnaires twice at 12 months apart. Family cohesion was measured by mothers’, fathers’, and adolescents’ reports to provide a comprehensive representation of the family environment. A structural equation modeling was conducted to investigate the mediation effect. Results: Findings based on structural equation modeling revealed that family cohesion was positively associated with interdependent self-construal and social trust. In addition, adolescents’ interdependent self-construal and social trust were positively associated with social responsibility. Bootstrapping analysis showed that interdependent self-construal and social trust were mediators between family cohesion and social responsibility. Conclusion: Based on these findings, the study added new evidence to the literature by demonstrating the mediating role of interdependent self-construal and social trust between family cohesion and social responsibility. Future studies could examine potential cultural variabilities in Western and other Chinese contexts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)55-62
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Adolescence
Volume89
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Family cohesion
  • Interdependent self-construal
  • Social responsibility
  • Social trust

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Understanding adolescents’ perceived social responsibility: The role of family cohesion, interdependent self-construal, and social trust'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this