Levels Of Family Functioning Research Articles

Relación entre Funcionamiento familiar e Identidad sexual en estudiantes adolescentes de instituciones educativas de Lima

Objetivo: determinar la relación entre la variable de funcionamiento familiar e identidad sexual enestudiantes adolescentes de instituciones educativas de Lima. Metodología: diseño no experimental,enfoque cuantitativo, de corte transversal y de tipo correlacional. Para la medición de la variable defuncionamiento familiar se utilizó la escala de Family Assessment Device (FAD) elaborado por Epsteinet al (1983); y la para la medición de la variable identidad sexual se utilizó Cuestionario de exploraciónde identidad sexual (CEIS), elaborado por León, Chaigneau, Rodríguez y Peña (2014). La muestraestuvo compuesta por 285 estudiantes que cursan el tercer, cuarto y quinto año del nivel secundario.Resultados: Se encontró relación negativa entre el nivel de funcionamiento familiar y la dimensiónfantasía/ conducta homosexual (rho= -.003; p>.05). Asimismo, no se encontró relación altamentesignificativa entre el funcionamiento familiar y la dimensión acuerdo con su sexo (rho = -.072; p< .01).Sin embargo, se encontró relación positiva altamente significativa con la dimensión fantasía/ conductaheterosexual (rho= .177; p> .01), es decir, cuánto mayor sea el funcionamiento familiar mayor será lafantasía/ conducta heterosexual. Conclusión: Existe relación negativa entre funcionamiento familiary la dimensión conducta homosexual, sin embargo se encontró relación positiva entre funcionamientofamiliar y la dimensión conducta heterosexual.

Relación entre sobrecarga y funcionamiento familiar en cuidadores informales de pacientes con Alzheimer

El cuidador informal es prioritario en la atención provista a un adulto mayor enfermo; resultado de esta acción, el cuidador puede experimentar sobrecarga y también percibir bajos niveles de funcionamiento familiar. El objetivo de la investigación consistió en determinar si existe relación entre sobrecarga y funcionamiento familiar en cuidadores informales de pacientes con Alzheimer; para ello se identificó el nivel de sobrecarga y el nivel de funcionamiento familiar; posteriormente se realizó la correlación entre estas dos variables. La metodología se desarrolló a partir del paradigma cuantitativo, enfoque empírico – analítico, tipo correlacional, diseño transversal, y muestreo por conveniencia, obteniendo 45 sujetos. Los resultados demuestran que la presencia de sobrecarga intensa corresponde al 56 % y la disfunción grave al 33 % de los cuidadores; posteriormente se comprobó la no relación entre variables. Se concluye que las variables sociodemográficas son propiciadoras o inhibidoras en los niveles de sobrecarga y funcionamiento familiar.

Family functioning according to clusters of family management styles in Korean families of children with chronic atopic disease: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundChronic allergic diseases in children are often linked with behavioral problems, poor daily living, negative perceptions of health, and low life satisfaction. ObjectivesThis study aimed to propose clusters of family management styles in the Korean families of children with chronic atopic disease, including allergic asthma, atopic dermatitis, and/or allergic rhinitis and examine the level of family functioning according to these clusters. DesignCross-sectional study. SettingsA university-level hospital in metropolitan Seoul, South Korea. ParticipantsParents of children with chronic atopic disease. MethodsThis study included 146 participants. The Korean version of the Family Management Measure and the Korean Family Functioning Scale were used to assess family management styles and family functioning, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0 using descriptive statistics, agglomerative hierarchical clustering with Ward's method prior to k-means clustering, k-means clustering analysis, analysis of variance, and chi-squared test. ResultsFour clusters of family management styles were identified as follows: stable-resilient, less committed, parents’ mission, and challenging. Among all participants, 19.9%, 30%, 20.6%, and 29.5% belonged to each of these clusters, respectively. The level of family functioning significantly differed between the four clusters, with the stable-resilient cluster having the highest mean level and the challenging cluster having the lowest mean level. Parents’ perceived the complexity of self-managing their child's condition as one of the factors differentiating the level of family functioning of each cluster. ConclusionsThis study identified four clusters of family management styles and showed that each cluster was associated with a different level of family functioning. The unique characteristics of the four clusters may be helpful in providing individualized care and promoting positive family functioning in families with children having chronic atopic disease.

Do Family Structure and Functioning Matter for Ethical and Other Values?

Because family and the beliefs and values of people are important aspects of economic institutions, family structure and functioning might affect the values of family members. Four specific types of values are relevant to economic performance: ethical values, moral values, democratic values, and egalitarian values. Data from the U.S. wave of the World Values Survey are used to determine if there is a correlation between values and the structure and functioning of families. Generally, traditional family structures—married households—and households with a high level of family functioning have higher ethical and moral values than other household structures and households with weak levels of family functioning. However, the relationship between family and democratic and egalitarian values of individuals is more nuanced. The findings point to the continuing importance of the family as an economic institution in society.

Funkcionalnost porodice i moralna razvijenost učenika

This paper presents the results of an empirical study into the relationship between family functioning and the level of moral development in senior students (adolescents), designed and conducted to take into consideration the more complete definition of the modern family, which gives preference to intra-family determinants over its external features, and relies on the results of previous relevant studies of the influence of the family on the formation of the child's personality. A functional and healthy family is one that aspires to or successfully achieves its goal of raising and educating children and youth, responsible parenthood/guardianship, promotion and maintenance of the mental and physical health of all family members, and provision of support to their work, life, and social fulfillment. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether there is a statistically significant correlation between family functioning and the level of students' moral development and overall school performance. It included 220 senior primary school students. The results show that about two-thirds of students see their families as optimally functional, and that the rest of the respondents believe that they live in families that do not reach the same functioning mark. Every third respondent perceives their family as functioning adequately, but quite a few students (7.27%) perceive their family as functioning moderately (according to the Beavers Systems Model, such families are considered dysfunctional). Students from optimally functional families had the highest average scores on moral development tests, while those from moderately functional families scored the lowest average number of points. The differences are statistically significant not only on these tests, but also for overall school performance as the control variable. A statistically significant correlation was found between the level of family functioning and student achievement on moral development tests. Such results allow us to conclude that family functioning (with all intragroup determinants that have positive educational effects) is one of the key factors in the moral formation of young people's personalities and their academic performance. Therefore, it is extremely important to improve the social position of the family, continuously train/instruct parents on pedagogical issues, and continuously work in partnership with pedagogical and other institutions and organisations engaged in children's upbringing and education.

Job Satisfaction and Family Functioning of Dual-Earner Commuter Family in Malaysia

The aim of the present study is to determine the relationship between job satisfaction and family functioning of dual-earner commuter family in Malaysia. More over, the investigation of the differences on job satisfaction and family functioning based on gender is also being analyzed. A total sample of 180 respondents were analyzed with correlation and t-test analysis. Results showed that respondents with high level of job satisfaction were more likely to experience high level of family functioning. Besides, results also showed that there were no significant differences between husband and wife in job satisfaction and family functioning. These finding suggest that information in this present study is useful to dual-earner commuter family and others. The limitations of the study were also discussed in this study.

Implications of Family Cohesion and Conflict for Adolescent Mood and Well-Being: Examining Within- and Between-Family Processes on a Daily Timescale.

Family-level conflict and cohesion are well-established predictors of adolescent mental health. However, traditional approaches focusing on between-family differences in cohesion and conflict may overlook daily intrafamily variability that might provide important new information. We used data from a 21-day daily diary protocol in a sample of 151 caregivers (95.3% female) and their adolescent child (61.5% female) in two-caregiver families to test whether daily changes in family functioning are associated with daily changes in adolescent well-being and whether adolescent well-being depends on average levels of family functioning. We examined family cohesion and conflict in relation to adolescent angry, depressed, and anxious mood, as well as happiness, life satisfaction, and meaning and purpose in life in multilevel models. Both cohesion and conflict exhibited meaningful daily variation. Adolescent-reported cohesion and conflict had unique within-family associations with all six adolescent outcomes. Models using parent reports of family functioning yielded fewer associations than models with adolescent reports; however, several findings remained. Cross-level interactions indicated that within-family variations in cohesion were only associated with adolescent depression in families with lower average levels of cohesion across days. In sum, this study provides compelling evidence that families exhibit meaningful variability from day to day and that daily variation has important implications for adolescent well-being.

2205Caregivers with persistent depressive symptoms are at high risk of having poor health status over 1 year of caregiving

Abstract Background Depressive symptoms are a substantial psychological problem in caregivers of stroke survivors, but there is limited knowledge about the trajectory of depressive symptoms and the consequence in longitudinal study. The purposes of this study were to (1) identify patterns for trajectory of depressive symptoms in caregivers who provided caregiving for stroke survivors for 1 year post-discharge, and (2) examine associations of depressive symptom trajectories with caregivers' burden, family function, social support, and health status over time. Methods In this secondary analysis of a longitudinal study, caregivers of stroke survivors completed a survey at post-discharge and 1 year follow up. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Caregiving burden, family function, and social support were assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview, the Family Assessment Device, and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List. Health status was assessed using two items from the SF-36. Pattern of depressive symptom trajectory (i.e., symptom-free, symptom improved, symptom developed, and persistent symptom) were identified by the presence of depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥16) at post-discharge and 1 year follow up. ANOVA, and multinomial logistic regression were used. Results Of the 102 caregivers (mean age=58 years, 66% female), 32.4% experienced depressive symptoms at post-discharge; 30.4% experienced depressive symptoms at 1-year follow up. During the first year of the caregiving experience, 57.8% of caregivers were symptom-free but 20.6% experienced persistent depressive symptoms; 11.8% had improved depressive symptoms, and 9.8% developed depressive symptoms. Caregivers with persistent depressive symptoms reported the highest level of burden (p<0.001), and the lowest levels of family function (p=0.02) and interpersonal support (p=0.0001) among the 4 groups at post-discharge and the results were unchanged at 1 year follow up. Furthermore, 33% of caregivers with persistent depressive symptoms reported their health as fair or poor at 1 year follow up and 42% of them reported their health became worse at 1 year follow up. Caregivers who developed depressive symptoms had the 2nd lowest score of interpersonal support (p=0.047) at 1 year follow up. Compared to symptom-free caregivers, caregivers with persistent depressive symptoms were 7 times more likely to have fair or poor health at 1 year follow up (95% CI, 1.55–32.87, p=0.012). Conclusions Trajectory of depressive symptoms was associated with caregiving burden, family function, and interpersonal support. The persistence of depressive symptoms is substantial for caregivers of stroke survivors and they are at high risk to have poor health status at 1 year of caregiving. Management of depressive symptoms at the early caregiving stage may be beneficial to prevent the development and persistence of depressive symptoms in caregivers of stroke survivors. Acknowledgement/Funding National Institute for Nursing Research R01NR02416

Pregnancy intentions and family functioning among low-income, unmarried couples: Person-centered analyses.

Guided by family systems theory and using 2-wave data from 4,843 low-income, unmarried couples in the Building Strong Families study, we examined paths from paternal and maternal pregnancy intentions to family functioning in personal, relationship, and coparenting domains. Using 3-step Latent Class Analysis, we first identified 3 subgroups of couples based on both parents' pregnancy intentions: Both Wanted/Both On-time (33.8%), Both Wanted/Both Mistimed (56.1%), and Women Wanted/Both Mistimed (10.1%). We then examined how family functioning varied across these 3 classes. We found that fathers and mothers in the Women Wanted/Both Mistimed class experienced the lowest levels of family functioning. Mothers in the Both Wanted/Both On-time class reported higher family functioning than mothers in the Both Wanted/Both Mistimed class, whereas few differences were identified between fathers in the Both Wanted/Both On-time class and the Both Wanted/Both Mistimed class. We discussed implications for families transitioning to parenthood of this nuanced understanding of associations between pregnancy intentions and family functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Future Hopes and Fears of Portuguese Emerging Adults in Macroeconomic Hard Times: The Role of Economic Strain and Family Functioning

Thinking about the future is paramount in emerging adulthood. The present study examines the role of economic strain during macroeconomic hard times and family functioning on emerging adults’ domain-specific future hopes and fears and their links with psychological well-being. Participating were 418 Portuguese emerging adults aged 18–30, mean ( M) = 22.4; standard deviation ( SD) = 2.8. Results from path analysis showed that greater economic strain was associated with a higher number of financial resources–related hopes and fears, positive levels of family functioning were associated with a higher number of work/career-related hopes and fears, and a higher number of property-related hopes were associated with a greater psychological well-being. Multigroup analyses indicated that these associations were moderated by living arrangements but not by participants’ sex, age, occupational status, and socioeconomic status. In sum, this study shed light on emerging adults’ lives during times of financial instability in Portugal.

Sintomatología depresiva, estrés y funcionamiento familiar en madres adultas del norte de México

El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la prevalencia de la sintomatología depresiva y analizar su relación con el estrés percibido y el funcionamiento familiar en una muestra de madres adultas del norte de México. Se realizó un estudio observacional analítico de corte transversal en una muestra de 118 mujeres residentes en la Zona Metropolitana de la Laguna (ZMLL), México. Para evaluar la sintomatología depresiva se utilizó el Inventario de Depresión de Beck (BDI, por sus siglas en inglés); para el estrés percibido se empleó la Escala de Estrés Percibido; y el funcionamiento familiar se evaluó mediante la Escala de Relaciones Intrafamiliares. Se utilizó el coeficiente r de Pearson para determinar el nivel de correlación entre las variables y regresión logística binomial para determinar los factores de riesgo para sintomatología depresiva en los grupos de participantes, formados de acuerdo a la edad. Los resultados indican una prevalencia del 12.7% de sintomatología depresiva clínicamente relevante, estableciendo un riesgo ocho veces mayor de presentar sintomatología depresiva para las participantes menores de 30 años que refieren niveles bajos de funcionamiento familiar (RM= 9.60, IC 95%= 1.1-84.5). Para las participantes mayores de 30 años se determinó un riesgo 15 veces mayor de presentar sintomatología depresiva, si presentan estrés percibido elevado (RM = 16.65, IC 95% = 2.7-101.3). Los factores de riesgo para presentar sintomatología depresiva varían de acuerdo a la edad de la mujer. Esto hace indispensable instrumentar medidas que amplíen la cobertura preventiva, privilegiando modelos comunitarios, sobre todo en los grupos más vulnerables.

Funcionamiento familiar y resiliencia en pacientes con enfermedades no transmisibles de un hospital público de Lima Metropolitana

Objetivo: estudiar la relación entre las variables funcionamiento familiar y resiliencia en pacientes con enfermedades no transmisibles de un hospital público de Lima. Material y métodos: de la investigación fue de diseño no experimental, de corte transversal y de alcance correlacional. El modelodel funcionamiento familiar sobre el cual se trabajó fue el modelo Circumplejo de sistema familiar realizado por Olson, Russell y Sprenkle (1979). La escala utilizada para la medición del funcionamiento familiar fue la Escala de Evaluación de Cohesión y Adaptabilidad Familiar (FACES III) y para medir la resiliencia se utilizó la Escala de Resiliencia elaborado por Wagnild y Young (1993) que consta de cinco dimensiones. La muestra estuvo conformada por 109 pacientes. Resultados: Se encontró que el funcionamiento familiar no se relaciona con la resiliencia (x2=5,972; p>.05). Conclusiones: que cualquiera sea el nivel de funcionamiento familiar, es posible que el paciente sea resiliente; ya queexisten factores individuales que intervienen en el desarrollo de la resiliencia.

Exploring the Role of Family Functioning in the Association Between Frequency of Family Dinners and Dietary Intake Among Adolescents and Young Adults

ImportanceEating meals, particularly dinner, with family members has been associated with improved dietary intake among youths. However, existing studies have not examined how family functioning may moderate or confound this association.ObjectiveTo examine whether level of family functioning is associated cross-sectionally with frequency of family dinners and dietary intake among a US national sample of adolescents and young adults.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsData from the 2011 questionnaire in the Growing Up Today Study 2 were used for this cross-sectional study. Linear regression models examined the extent to which family dinner frequency was associated with self-reported intake of fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food, and takeout food among 2728 adolescents and young adults (age, 14-24 years). To explore effect modification by family functioning, an interaction term for family functioning and family dinner frequency was included for each dietary outcome. To explore confounding, models adjusted for family functioning were run. All models were stratified by sex and included participant age, educational attainment of mother’s spouse or partner, and family structure as covariates. Statistical analysis was conducted between January 1, 2017, and August 31, 2018.Main Outcomes and MeasuresDietary intake measured by consumption of fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, takeout food, and fast food; family dinner frequency per week; and family functioning.ResultsAmong the 2728 participants, there were 1559 female and 1169 male participants who were 14 to 24 years of age (mean [SD] age, 19.4 [1.9] years) and were living with their parents in 2011. Most participants (2453 of 2649 [92.6%]) identified as white. More frequent family dinners were associated with higher-quality dietary intake regardless of level of family functioning; interactions between family functioning and family dinner frequency were not significant. Associations between family meal frequency and dietary intake outcomes did not change substantively when adjusting for family functioning. In adjusted models, more frequent family dinners were associated with higher intakes of fruits (female participants: β, 0.09 servings/d; 95% CI, 0.04-0.15 servings/d; male participants: β, 0.07 servings/d; 95% CI, 0.01-0.12 servings/d) and vegetables (female participants: β, 0.21 servings/d; 95% CI, 0.12-0.30 servings/d; male participants: β, 0.19 servings/d; 95% CI, 0.09-0.30 servings/d), and lower intakes of fast food (female participants: β, –0.04 times/wk; 95% CI, –0.07 to 0.00 times/wk; male participants: β, –0.10 times/wk; 95% CI, –0.15 to –0.04 times/wk) and takeout foods (female participants: β, –0.04 times/wk; 95% CI, –0.07 to –0.01 times/wk; male participants: β, –0.06 times/wk; 95% CI, –0.10 to –0.02 times/wk). More frequent family dinners were associated with lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages for male participants only (β, –0.07 servings/d; 95% CI, –0.13 to –0.02 servings/d).Conclusions and RelevanceMore frequent family dinners are associated with healthful dietary intakes among youths, regardless of level of family functioning. Family dinners may be an appropriate intervention target for improving dietary intake among youths.

The mediating effect of family function and medication adherence between symptoms and mental disability among Chinese patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACTSchizophrenia is a debilitating, chronic, and high-refractory mental illness. Researchers should focus considerable attention to patients with mental disability. This study aims to explore the mediating effect of family function and medication adherence between symptoms and mental disability among Chinese patients with schizophrenia during the convalescent stage. Data from a cross-sectional sample of 499 Chinese patients with schizophrenia were used in this study. The participants were recruited and independently interviewed using the General Information Sheet, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHO-DAS II), Family APGAR Index (APGAR), and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) as outcome measures. A structural equation modeling strategy was used to analyze data. To analyze the correlation matrix, we applied the maximum-likelihood method to estimate the parameters. Bootstrapping was used to validate the mediation effects. Findings from the structural equation modeling demonstrated that family function and medication adherence played mediating roles between psychiatric symptoms and disability. This study presents a partial mediation model. Psychiatrists and nurses should assess the level of family function and medication adherence for schizophrenia, as well as provide interventions to improve family function and medication adherence, thereby eventually mediating disability.

Family functioning moderates the impact of psychosis-risk symptoms on social and role functioning

BackgroundYouth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis often experience difficulties in social and role functioning. Given evidence that family stress and support can impact psychosis-risk symptoms, as well as an individual's ability to fulfill social and role functions, family dynamics are hypothesized to moderate the effect of psychosis-risk symptoms on functioning. MethodsParticipants at CHR (N = 52) completed the clinician-administered Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes (SIPS) and the Family Assessment Device (FAD) General Functioning Scale, a self-report measure of family functioning including cohesion and support. Interviewers rated participants' current social and role functioning using the Global Functioning: Social and Role Scales. ResultsRegression results indicated that positive symptoms, but not ratings of family functioning, statistically predicted social and role functioning. Perceived family functioning, however, moderated the effect of symptoms on social/role functioning. For individuals who perceived lower levels of family functioning, symptoms were moderately associated with social and role functioning (f2 = 0.17 and f2 = 0.23, respectively). In contrast, psychosis-risk symptoms were not significantly associated with social/role functioning for individuals with higher levels of perceived family functioning. Notably, positive symptoms and perceived family functioning were not associated with one another, suggesting that perceived family functioning did not directly impact symptom severity, or vice versa. ConclusionsFindings support the notion that family functioning may be a clinically meaningful factor for individuals at CHR. Although this cross-sectional data limits our discussion of potential mechanisms underlying the pattern of findings, results suggest that familial support may be beneficial for individuals at risk for psychosis.

Parents, family characteristics and bullying behavior: A systematic review

Abstract The review investigates the role played by contextual family processes, relational processes and parental individual processes on bullying and victimization. A systematic review has been conducted in five databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC) from 1970 through November 2017. Finally, 154 studies were reviewed differentiating among the three levels of family processes. The majority of the studies addressed single or multiple variables at the same level of analysis. Only 25% of studies focused on the interplay between different levels of family functioning. Our review finds evidence about the role of contextual family variables (parental mental health and domestic violence) and of relational family variables (in particular child abuse and neglect, maladaptive parenting, communication, parental involvement and support). A lower and more controversial evidence has been showed about the role of individual parental variables such as parental self-efficacy, parental attitudes toward victimization and parental knowledge about bullying.

Family meals among parents: Associations with nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing

A growing body of research suggests that children and adolescents who share frequent meals with their families report better nutrition indicators, family relationships and mental health. Yet, little research has examined whether parents who share meals with their families report the same indicators of wellbeing. The current paper addresses this question using population-based survey data and a sample of parents in the United States (n = 889, mean age 31 years) that responded to the fourth wave of the Project EAT study in 2015–16. Multiple regression models were used to examine associations between frequency of family meals and indicators of nutritional, social and emotional wellbeing, controlling for demographic and household characteristics. Analyses also examined if associations were moderated by sex, as mothers tend to be more responsible for household and childcare tasks. Results suggested that parent report of frequent family meals was associated with higher levels of family functioning, greater self-esteem, and lower levels of depressive symptoms and stress (p-value for all <0.001). Frequency of family meals was also related to greater fruit and vegetable consumption (both p < 0.05), but was unrelated to other indicators of parent body size and nutritional wellbeing. Associations between frequency of family meals and parent wellbeing were similar for both mothers and fathers. Findings from the current study suggest that frequent family meals may contribute to the social and emotional wellbeing of parents. Future strategies to promote family meals should consider the potential impacts on the health and wellbeing of the whole family.

A confirmative clinimetric analysis of the 36-item Family Assessment Device

Background: The Family Assessment Device (FAD) is a 60-item questionnaire widely used to evaluate self-reported family functioning. However, the factor structure as well as the number of items has been questioned. A shorter and more user-friendly version of the original FAD-scale, the 36-item FAD, has therefore previously been proposed, based on findings in a nonclinical population of adults.Aims: We aimed in this study to evaluate the brief 36-item version of the FAD in a clinical population.Methods: Data from a European multinational study, examining factors associated with levels of family functioning in adult cancer patients’ families, were used. Both healthy and ill parents completed the 60-item version FAD. The psychometric analyses conducted were Principal Component Analysis and Mokken-analysis.Results: A total of 564 participants were included. Based on the psychometric analysis we confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD has robust psychometric properties and can be used in clinical populations.Conclusions: The present analysis confirmed that the 36-item version of the FAD (18 items assessing ‘well-being’ and 18 items assessing ‘dysfunctional’ family function) is a brief scale where the summed total score is a valid measure of the dimensions of family functioning. This shorter version of the FAD is, in accordance with the concept of ‘measurement-based care’, an easy to use scale that could be considered when the aim is to evaluate self-reported family functioning.

Linking Family Functioning and Self-Discrepancies among Children with Functional Somatic Symptoms

Functional somatic symptoms (FSS), defined as physical symptoms of unknown pathology, are common among children and adolescents and are often associated with high levels of functional impairment. Self-discrepancy theory (SDT) suggests that discrepancies between one’s ideal, ought, or undesired self-states and one’s actual self-representation may lead to emotional distress. Among families with dysfunctional patterns, such emotional distress may result in FSS. The current study examined the relationship between familial patterns and children’s levels of self-discrepancies, among children with and without FSS. Twenty-three children diagnosed with FSS and 23 children with orthopedic problems (non-FSS) and their mothers participated in the study. Mothers and children completed the Child Somatization Inventory and the Integrated Self-Discrepancies Index. Mothers also completed the general scale of the Family Assessment Device. Higher levels of symptom intensity were found in the FSS group than in the non-FSS group. Dysfunctional familial patterns were significantly higher in the FSS group, and higher levels of discrepancies were reported in the FSS group, compared with the non-FSS group. No significant relationship was found in the FSS group between level of self-state discrepancies and level of family functioning. Higher levels of dysfunctional patterns are observed among families of children with FSS. Furthermore, children with FSS and their mothers hold relatively high levels of self-state discrepancies. However, these elevated discrepancies are not significantly related to familial dysfunctional patterns. Viewing self-state discrepancies together with family maladaptive patterns might help address both inter- and intrapersonal conflicts within the family and reduce children’s symptoms.

Family Functioning during Adolescence: The Roles of Paternal and Maternal Emotion Dysregulation and Parent–Adolescent Relationships

Family functioning significantly impacts family processes. When children enter adolescence the need to develop and maintain a high level of family functioning becomes even more crucial. This study examined whether parents’ individual characteristics contributed to family cohesion/adaptability in families with adolescents. Moreover, the mediating roles that parent–adolescent relationships played in these associations were also examined. Participants were 169 father–mother couples in families with at least one adolescent child in Mainland China. Fathers and mothers reported on difficulties in emotion regulation, perceptions of parent–adolescent closeness and conflict, and family cohesion and adaptability. Results revealed that both paternal and maternal emotion dysregulation were indirectly related to their own and their partner’s perceptions of family cohesion through their own closeness or conflict with the adolescent child. A parent’s emotion dysregulation could be directly and indirectly related to his/her own perception of family adaptability through his/her own closeness with the adolescent, while another parent’s emotion dysregulation could be indirectly associated with his/her partner’s report of family adaptability through his/her own conflict with the adolescent. These findings suggested that family functioning during adolescence might be impacted by family factors at the individual parental and parent–adolescent dyadic levels. Additionally, this study indicated fathers and mothers might contribute to the family processes in a similar way.