Impact of parent-adolescent bonding on school bullying and mental health in Vietnamese cultural setting: evidence from the global school-based health survey

Background: The mental well-being of adolescents is a crucial issue affecting lives of both adults and young people. Bullying and mental health problems are important factors that can have a negative impact on the mental well-being of adolescents. Public awareness of mental health problems among adolescents is rapidly growing in Vietnam. However, current approaches to identifying risk factors influencing mental health problems do not pay attention to potentially protective factors. This study was performed to examine the associations between parent-adolescent bonding and mental health outcomes as protective elements during the adolescent period. Methods: Data collected from 3331 respondents in grade 8-12 as part of the Vietnam Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) 2013 was used for the analysis. A three-stage cluster sample design was used to produce data representative of students. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of demographic characteristics and data regarding parent-adolescent bonding associations with status of mental health problems in adolescents. Results: Parental understanding, parental monitoring were significantly associated with reduced likelihood of being bullied and mental health problems (P < 0.05). However, parental control was significantly associated with greater likelihoods of being physically attacked (adjusted odd ratio (aOR) = 1.36, 95%CI, 1.06, 1.75) and mental health problems, such as suicidal ideation, and loneliness (aOR = 1.96, 95%CI, 1.49, 2.57, aOR = 2.35, 95%CI, 1.75, 3.15, respectively), after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusions: The study indicated the significant associations between parental understanding, monitoring and control in a proxy of parent-adolescent bonding and mental well-being during the period of adolescent rebellion. Thus, parent-adolescent bonding in Southeast Asian cultural context may provide an effective means to promote the mental well-being of adolescents.