Browsing by Subject "Family communication"
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Item Differentiation and healthy family functioning(2012-08) Kim, Hyejin; Prouty, Anne M.; Smith, Douglas B.; Ko, Mei-Ju; Wetchler, Joseph L.Inconsistent results have been found in prior research on differentiation of self in Bowen Family Systems Theory and its application to individuals, couples, and families of different cultural backgrounds. In this regard, the present study examined the impact of differentiation of self on healthy family functioning with 183 participants including Koreans in South Korea, South Koreans in the United States, and White American in the United States. Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis identified good construct validity of a measurement (DSI-R) used for the three groups of this study. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) found significant differences among the three groups with regard to the level of differentiation. Results of a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed significant effects of differentiation levels on family functioning, family satisfaction, and family communication. This study also examined the relationships between differentiation and family functioning within a collectivistic Korean culture. Koreans residing in South Korea (n=235) participated in this study, and ranged in age from 20 to 70 years. Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised had adequate construct validity for use with South Koreans. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that older South Koreans had higher differentiation levels than younger South Koreans. Regression results showed that balanced and healthy family functioning was significantly related to greater family satisfaction and more positive family communication. Results of a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed there were significant differences between the high differentiation group and the low differentiation group across family functioning, family satisfaction, and family communication. The author discusses implications for clinical practice, interventions, and future research.Item Parental confirmation and emerging adult children’s body image : self-concept and social competence as mediators(2016-08) Taniguchi, Emiko; Dailey, René M.; Vangelisti , Anita L; Donovan, Erin; Neff, Lisa A; Whittaker, TiffanyAlthough the role of family factors in the development of body image is well documented, the mechanism of how family interactions are related to body image remains inadequately understood. Moreover, extant body image literature examining the role of family factors has largely focused on mother-daughter relationships, limiting our understanding on fathers’ roles and sons’ experiences. The purpose of this project was to address limitations in extant literature from a communicative perspective. Based on confirmation theory (Dailey, 2010), this project examined (a) how each component of parental confirmation (acceptance and challenge) was individually and interactively related to emerging adults’ body image, (b) how these associations were mediated by social competence and self-concept, and (c) how hypothesized links differed by parental and child sex. Male and female college students (N = 447; 319 females) responded to a series of online surveys. Collectively, the results provided general support for the proposed mediation model. There were minimal child sex differences, whereas there were some differences in hypothesized associations depending on the parental sex. For mothers’ communication behaviors, the positive association between mother acceptance and body image was fully mediated by social competence and self-concept together, and mother challenge enhanced the positive effect of mother acceptance on body image through self-concept (but not through social competence). In terms of fathers’ communication behaviors, the positive association between father acceptance and body image was partially mediated by self-concept. Further, father acceptance and father challenge interacted to predict body image directly, without being mediated by the proposed mediators, such that father challenge enhanced the positive effect of father acceptance on body image. Altogether, the findings of this study suggest that acceptance and challenge are associated with emerging adults’ body image through a somewhat different mechanism depending on parent sex (but not child sex). This research underscores the utility of employing a confirmation perspective in understanding the mechanisms of how family interactions are related to body image.