Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the characteristics and interactive factors of family relationship quality and its effect on various psychological well-being indicators among Taiwanese adolescents. Since grandparents are part of the extended family, which is the basic family unit in the Chinese system, the research framework incorporates both paternal and maternal grandparents in addition to both parents and siblings in the construction of family relationship quality. Data (n = 1,822) were based on a panel study conducted by the Taiwan Youth Project in 2005 (12th grade) and 2007 (14th grade). The analyses explore mainly the patterns and the effect of family relationship quality on Taiwanese adolescents’ psychological well-being. Latent class models and multiple regression models were used to generate adolescents’ family relationship quality, which can be categorized into Paternal Grandparents Close, Distant, Multiple Close, and Nuclear Close. The results confirm that adolescents’ family cohesion, self-esteem, and depression vary by their family relationship quality patterns. The particularity of East Asian adolescents is briefly discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Bane, M. J., & Weiss, R. S. (1980). Alone together: The world of single-parent families. American Demographics, 2, 11–15.
Barnes, G. M., Reifman, A. S., Farrell, M. P., & Dintcheff, B. A. (2000). The effects of parenting on the development of adolescent alcohol misuse: A six-wave latent growth model. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 175–186.
Blake, J. (1985). Number of siblings and educational mobility. American Sociological Review, 50, 84–94.
Blake, J. (1989). Number of siblings and educational attainment. Science, 245, 32–36.
Campbell, A. (1981). The sense of well-being in America: Recent patterns and trends. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Chang, Y. H., & Chi, L. (1991). The evolution of patterns on household composition in twentieth century Taiwan. Thought and Words, 29(4), 85–113 (In Chinese).
Compton, K., Snyder, J., Schrepferman, L., Bank, L., & Shortt, J. W. (2003). The contribution of parents and siblings to antisocial and depressive behavior in adolescents: A double jeopardy coercion model. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 163–182.
Crosnoe, R., & Elder, G. H., Jr. (2004). Family dynamics, supportive relationships, and educational resilience during adolescence. Journal of Family Issues, 25(5), 571–602.
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics. (1993). In Executive Yuan (Ed.), Report on children’s life conditions. Taipei: Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (In Chinese).
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics. (2000). In Executive Yuan (Ed.), Registered population and household (Population census in 2000). http://www.dgbas.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1185%26ctNode=3273. Accessed 23 Dec 2011 (In Chinese).
Downey, D. B. (1995). When bigger is not better: Family size, parental resources, and children’s educational performance. American Sociological Review, 60, 746–761.
Downey, D. B., & Condron, D. (2004). Playing well with others in kindergarten: The benefits of siblings at home. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66, 333–350.
Drew, L. M., & Silverstein, M. (2004). Inter-generational role investments of great-grandparents: Consequences for psychological well-being. Ageing and Society, 24, 95–111.
Drew, L. M., & Silverstein, M. (2007). Grandparents’ well-being after loss of contact with their grandchildren. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(3), 372–379.
Epstein, J. L. (1992). School and family partnerships. In M. C. Alkin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of educational research (pp. 1139–1151). New York: Maxwell Macmillan International.
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). New York: Norton.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140.
Gaalen, R. I., Dykstra, P. A., & Flap, H. (2008). Intergenerational contact beyond the dyad: The role of the sibling network. European Journal of Ageing, 5, 19–29.
Herman, K. C., Ostrander, R., Walkup, J. T., Silva, S. G., & March, J. S. (2007). Empirically derived subtypes of adolescent depression: Latent profile analysis of co-occurring symptoms in the treatment for adolescents with depression study (TADS). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 715–728.
Hoffman, K. L., Kiecolty, K. J., & Edwards, J. N. (2005). Physical violence between siblings: A theoretical and empirical analysis. Journal of Family Issues, 26, 1103–1130.
Huang, L. W. (1999). Adolescents’ sibling relationships. Soochow Journal of Sociology, 8, 123–154 (In Chinese).
Jaap, J. A., Denissen, M. A., van Aken, G., & Dubas, J. S. (2009). It takes two to tango: How parents’ and adolescents’ personalities link to the quality of their mutual relationship. Developmental Psychology, 45(4), 928–941.
Jeong, Y. J., & Chun, Y. J. (2010). The pathways from parents’ marital quality to adolescents’ school adjustment in South Korea. Journal of Family Issues, 31(12), 1604–1621.
Jou, Y. H. (2009). Typology and psychological effects of adolescents’ interpersonal relationships in Taiwan. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 12(2), 121–132.
Jou, Y. H., & Hsieh, Y. S. (2004, June 23-24). Continued or temporary impact: The effect of family life events on adolescents’ depression. Paper presented at the First youth conference of Taiwan Youth Project. Taipei, Taiwan.
Kemp, C. L. (2007). Grandparent – grandchild ties: Reflections on continuity and change across three generations. Journal of Family Issues, 28, 855–881.
Korea National Statistical Office. (1993). Social index in Korea. Seoul: Korean National Statistical Office.
Lanza, S. T., Flaherty, B. P., & Collins, L. M. (2003). Latent class and latent transition analysis. In J. A. Schinka & W. F. Velicer (Eds.), Handbook of psychology (Research methods in psychology, Vol. 2, pp. 663–685). Hoboken: Wiley.
Levy, M. J., Jr. (1971). The family revolution in modern China. New York: Octagon Books.
McLanahan, S. (1983). Family structure and stress: A longitudinal comparison of two-parent and female-headed families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 347–357.
McLanahan, S., & Adams, J. (1987). Parenthood and psychological well-being. Annual Review of Sociology, 13, 237–257.
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Statistics Bureau. (2010). 2–18 Private Households by Family Type of Household, Related Members and Average Number of Related Members per Household (1960–2005). Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Statistics Bureau, Director-General for Policy Planning (Statistical Standards) & Statistical Research and Training Institute. http://www.stat.go.jp/data/chouki/02.htm. Accessed 23 Dec 2011 (In Japanese).
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Statistics Bureau. (2011). Population census Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Statistics Bureau, Director-General for Policy Planning (Statistical Standards) & Statistical Research and Training Institute. http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/index.htm. Accessed 23 Dec 2011 (In Japanese).
Monserud, M. A. (2008). Intergenerational relationships and affectual solidarity between grandparents and young adults. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 70, 182–195.
Mueller, M. M., Wilhelm, B., & Elder, G. H. (2002). Variations in grandparenting. Research on Aging, 24(3), 360–388.
National Statistics, R.O.C. (2006). Types of Households. Taiwan: National Statistics, Republic of China. http://www.stat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=17952%26ctNode=538%26mp=4. Accessed 23 Dec 2011 (In Chinese).
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Girgus, J. S. (1994). The emergence of gender differences in depression during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 424–443.
Pan, E.-L., Chang, Y.-H., & Hsieh, Y.-S. (2004). Family structure, life events and adolescent distress: Variations by age. Paper presented at the First youth conference of Taiwan Youth Project, June 23-24, 2004, Taipei, Taiwan.
Parke, R. D. (2002). Fathers and families. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting (pp. 27–73). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Pipp, S., Jennings, S., Shaver, P., Lamborn, S., & Fischer, K. W. (1985). Adolescents’ theories about the development of their relationships with parents. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(4), 991–1001.
Plunkett, S. W., Henry, C. S., Robinson, L. C., Behnke, A., & Falcon, P. C., III. (2007). Adolescent perceptions of parental behaviors, adolescent self-esteem, and adolescent depressed mood. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16, 760–772.
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.
Rodgers, J. L., & Rowe, D. C. (1990). Adolescent sexual activity and mildly deviant behavior: Sibling and friendship effect. Journal of Family Issues, 11, 274–293.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Ross, C. E., & Huber, J. (1985). Hardship and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 26, 312–327.
Scott, J., & Duncombe, J. (1992). Gender-role attitudes in Britain and the USA. In S. Arber & N. Gilbert (Eds.), Women and working lives: Divisions and change (pp. 36–53). London: Macmillan.
Seltzer, M. M., & Ryff, C. D. (1996). The parental experience in midlife: Past, present, and future. In C. D. Ryff & M. M. Seltzer (Eds.), The parental experience in midlife (pp. 641–661). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Shek, D. T. (2000). Differences between fathers and mothers in the treatment of, and relationship with, their teenage children: Perceptions of Chinese adolescents. Adolescence, 35, 135–146.
Silverstein, M., & Giarrusso, R. (2010). Aging and family life: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 72, 1039–1058.
Silverstein, M., & Marenco, A. (2001). How Americans enact the grandparent role across the family life course. Journal of Family Issues, 22, 493–522.
Tan, J. P., Buchanan, A., Flouri, E., Attar-Schwartz, S., & Griggs, J. (2010). Filling the parenting gap? Grandparent involvement with U.K. adolescents. Journal of Family Issues, 31(7), 992–1015.
Teachman, J. D. (1987). Family background, educational resources, and educational attainment. American Sociological Review, 52(4), 548–557.
Uba, L. (1994). Asian Americans: Personality patterns, identity and mental health. New York: Guilford.
Umberson, D. (1989). Relationships with children: Explaining parents’ psychological well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, 999–1012.
Umberson, D., Chen, M. D., House, J. S., Hopkins, K., & Slaten, E. (1996). The effect of social relationships on psychological well-being: Are men and women really so different? American Sociological Review, 61, 837–857.
Voorpostel, M., & Blieszner, R. (2008). Intergenerational solidarity and support between adult siblings. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 70, 157–167.
Weaver, S. E., Coleman, M., & Ganong, L. H. (2003). The sibling relationship in young adulthood: Sibling functions and relationship perceptions as influenced by sibling pair composition. Journal of Family Issues, 24, 245–263.
Widmer, E. D., & Weiss, C. C. (2003). Do older siblings make a difference? The effects of older sibling support and older sibling adjustment on the adjustment of socially disadvantaged adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10, 1–27.
Yi, C. C. (1987). A study of work orientation, job condition, work satisfaction and child care arrangement among married working women. Chinese Journal of Sociology, 11, 93–120.
Yi, C. C., Pan, E. L., Chang, Y. H., & Chan, C. W. (2006). Grandparents, adolescents, and parents intergenerational relations of Taiwanese youth. Journal of Family Issues, 27(8), 1042–1067.
Yi, C. C., Wu, C. I., Chang, Y. H., & Chang, M. Y. (2009). The psychological well-being of Taiwanese youth: School versus family context from early to late adolescence. International Sociology, 24(3), 397–429.
Yuan, A. S. (2009). Sibling relationships and adolescents’ mental health: The interrelationship of structure and quality. Journal of Family Issues, 30(9), 1221–1244.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jou, YH. (2012). Family Relationship Quality and Its Psychological Effects Among Taiwanese Adolescents. In: Yi, CC. (eds) The Psychological Well-being of East Asian Youth. Quality of Life in Asia, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4081-5_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4081-5_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4080-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4081-5
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)