Four students and a faculty member from the Department of Psychology represented Miriam College at the Asian Conference on Psychology and Behavioral Sciences held at the Art Center Kobe in Kobe, Japan last March 22-24.

The conference carried the theme, “Surviving and Thriving in Times of Change” and was organized by the International Academic Forum (IAFOR) in association with the IAFOR Research Centre of Osaka University and IAFOR’s Global University Partners.

The student delegation composed of Athena Marie Castano, Sherwin Castillo, Kristia Ysabel De Guzman, and Mary Mia Villanueva, presented their undergraduate thesis titled: “The Mediating Role of Loneliness on the Relation between Parent-child relationship and Risk Taking among Filipino Adolescents”. It highlighted how the quality of the parent-child relationship may promote patterns of loneliness, which may result to higher tendencies in risk-taking among adolescents. The presenters stood out among other delegates from around the world.

They were accompanied by their thesis adviser, Aylin M. Bello, MA RPsy.

In a separate presentation, Bello covered the undergraduate thesis titled, “The Millennial and Generation X Mothers: The Moderating Role of Generations on the Relation between Parenting Self-efficacy and Parenting Styles.” Bello represented on behalf of the thesis group of Samantha Malate, Mariel Manalo, and Bettina Solleza.

In between paper presentations, the delegates were able attend the different plenary sessions that covered a wide range of topics from depression to psychological literacy.