The relationship between adolescent well-being and commitment to family-of-origin

Abstract

Research is burgeoned with the association between adolescent mental health and family cohesion and connectedness (White, Shelton &, Elgar, 2013; Jose, Ryan &, Pryor, 2012; Jaggers, Church, Tomek, Hooper, Bolland &, Bolland, 2014) where the family can be seen as a moderating risk factor that can enhance resilience (Maynard &, Harding, 2010; Fergus &, Zimmerman, 2005). In the present study I explored the relationship between family commitment and adolescent well-being with the main research question, What is the relationship between family commitment and adolescent well-being? In order to answer this question, I formulated a secondary question namely; Does commitment and well-being vary as a result of sex, parents marital status and participants relationship with their parents? For the present study, I adopted a quantitative methodological approach to secondary data analysis, as numerical data and statistical analyses were used to explore the relationship between the variables. The sample was conveniently sampled and consisted of adolescents in a high school setting between the ages of 16 and 18 years. Data was collected via the administration of a questionnaire which comprised of the Family Commitment Scale (FCS) and the Trait Well-being Inventory (TWBI). The reliability analyses confirmed that both the FCS (? = .930) and the TWBI (? = .878) have moderate to high Cronbach alpha s and are therefore reliable measures. Non-parametric statistical analyses were conducted to answer the primary research question, through the two stated hypotheses. The results proved that both null hypotheses could be rejected in favour of the alternative, thus indicating that there is a significant relationship between family commitment and well-being and that participants perceptions of their relationship with their parents significantly impacts their perceptions of their family commitment and overall well-being. The findings of the present study contribute to the utility of the Family Commitment Scale in measuring family commitment and add to the literature on adolescent well-being and commitment to family-of-origin.