Assertiveness and Familial Obedience as Predictors of Psychological Distress among Indian Emerging Adults

Description

Sheethal Suresh and P. Sharon Shulamite (Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences, Amity University Mumbai, Maharashtra)

Psychological wellbeing encompasses assertiveness, familial obedience, and psychological distress, reflecting the balance between personal autonomy and familial obligations. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with a sample of 250 Emerging adults of age 18-25 (N=250, Males=110, females=140). Standardized self-report measures Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) developed by Rathus (1973) to measure assertiveness, the Asian Values Scale-Revised (AVS-R) developed by Kim et al. (2005) to assess familial obedience and Asian cultural values, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) developed by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) were administered, and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. Descriptive findings indicated moderately high levels of familial obedience alongside slightly below-average assertiveness and variable levels of psychological distress. Correlational analyses revealed a significant negative association between assertiveness and psychological distress (r = -.370, p < .001), suggesting that higher assertiveness is associated with lower emotional distress. Familial obedience demonstrated no significant relationship with psychological distress or assertiveness. Multiple regression analysis showed that the overall model significantly predicted psychological distress, F (2, 247) = 20.10, p < .001, accounting for 14 % of the variance (Adjusted R² = .133). Assertiveness emerged as a significant negative predictor (β = -.369, p < .001), whereas familial obedience did not independently predict distress (β = -.051, p = .387). These findings support theoretical perspectives that higher assertiveness was significantly associated with lower levels of psychological distress, identifying it as a meaningful protective factor against psychological morbidity. Familial obedience did not significantly predict psychological distress, indicating a more complex relationship influenced by cultural and contextual factors. The findings highlight assertiveness as a protective factor against psychological distress and support culturally sensitive interventions that promote assertiveness.