Investigating the relationship between family support and psychological distress mediated by psychological flexibility in high school students in online classes

Serious concerns about the mental health of adolescents during the pandemic related quarantine and school closures and entering online education have been raised. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of psychological flexibility in the relationship between family support and psychological distress in high school students in the context of online classes.

The method of the present study is (correlation and structural equation modeling). The population of the study includes all junior and senior high school male students who were studying in online classes. The sample consisted of 644 male students (383 junior high school students and 261 senior high school students) who were selected by cluster random sampling method and assigned to answer the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Multidimensional scale of perceived Social Support Questionnaire - Family Dimension (MSPSS-Family) and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire 2 (AAQ-II).

Data analysis showed that the structural model of the study has a good fit. Also, this model showed that family support is negatively related to psychological distress and positively related to psychological flexibility, and psychological flexibility is also negatively related to psychological distress.Discussion and

By acknowledging the mediating role of psychological flexibility and the effective role of family support in reducing psychological distress and increasing adolescent flexibility, one can make better planning for family participation and awareness in adolescent students' psychological issues in the future.