Family‐related demands, positive orientation, coping strategies and family satisfaction: A mediation model

Joana M Suta

doi:10.25071/1929-8471.61

Abstract

This study investigates how gradual social change may affect subjective well‐being (SWB) in the family domain, for example how it impacts family satisfaction. Individuals are active agents who use personal resources and coping strategies to protect their SWB from the effects of social change. Specifically, we predict that family demands affect SWB negatively, whereas positive orientation and coping strategies have a protective role. In a sample of 261 young Italian adults, family‐demands associated with social changes were found to have negative effects that could only be reduced from having a positive orientation. Furthermore, confirming the motivational theory of lifespan development, problem‐focused strategies were beneficial for family satisfaction to the extent that they represent an adaptation response to demands associated with social changes.

Highlights

The accumulation of negative manifestations of social changes represents a risk factor for individual adaptation and subjective well‐being (SWB)
The demands associated with social changes are perceived as a mismatch between age‐related habits and emerging developmental life tasks (Silbereisen et al, 2006, 2010).The current study stems from the theoretical framework of Silbereisen and colleagues, and aims to understand how gradual social changes can affect family life and SWB of young Italian adults
This study explored how family‐related demands can affect the relationship between positive orientation and family satisfaction, both directly through, and mediated by, coping strategies

Summary

Introduction

The accumulation of negative manifestations of social changes represents a risk factor for individual adaptation and subjective well‐being (SWB). According to the Model of Social Change and Human Development (Silbereisen et al, 2010), the motivational life span theory of control (Heckhausen et al, 2010) represents an adequate theoretical framework to classify and evaluate how an individual deals with the demands of social changes. This theory consists of two basic strategies of coping: a) active: in which people engage with the issue and try to control it; and b) disengaged: in which people view demands to be uncontrollable. It represents a global variable of family functioning which includes: the level of support received, the solutions to family problems, the quality of time spent together, and the grade of independence within the family (Caprara et al, 2005)

Objective and Hypotheses

Methods

Results