Effect of Parents’ Marital Satisfaction, Marital Life Period and Type of Family on their Children Mental Health Status

Abstract

KEYWORDS Marital Satisfaction. Mental Health. Type of Family. Joint Family. Nuclear Family ABSTRACT This study was conducted on 360 school going (8 th , 9 th and 10 th classes) children and their parents to find out the effect of parents' marital satisfaction, martial life period and type of family on mental health status of their children. The objectives of the study was to find out the ef fect of type of family and marital life period of parents on their children' s mental health status and examine the impact of level of marital life period and level of marital satisfaction of parents on their children's mental health status. Marital satisfaction of the parents was assessed by using Marital Satisfaction scale and mental health status of the children was assessed by using Mental Health S tatus inventory. Results revealed that marital satisfaction of parents significantly affects mental health status of their children. Parents belonging to joint and nuclear families with high marital satisfaction were compared with parents with low marital satisfaction. Children hailing from high marital satisfaction parent groups of both joint and nuclear families have better mental health than children of parents with low marital satisfaction.