Effects of Family Structure and Family Relationships on Life Satisfaction— An Example of Middle-aged Generation

• Main Author: 洪晟惠
• Other Authors: 周麗端
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/03757361096646523075

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 人類發展與家庭學系 === 98 === This research aims to investigate the connections among family structure, family relationships, and life satisfaction. A questionnaire survey was carried out on a convenience sample of people recruited from the researcher’s social network and the street interviews conducted by the researcher. Participants had to meet the requirements for target respondents: 40- to 60-years-old, married, having at least one living parent, and having at least one child at any age. Out of the 730 copies of questionnaires distributed, 499 copies were collected. The data were eliminated if the respondent did not conform to the age limit, skipped too many questions, or did not live with his/her family. The remaining copies comprised 381 effective samples. The research tools were composed of three parts: “Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS),” “Family Relationships Questionnaire,” and “personal background information.” The data were analyzed with the statistic software SPSS 18.0 (PASW Statistics). The statistic methods adopted included descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and regression analysis. The following conclusions can be derived from the results in two perspectives. First, the interactions of family relationships of the middle-aged generation with personal background and family structure were investigated. The results suggested that the middle-aged generation generally maintains good relationships with the other family members. Women in middle age have significantly better access to expressing their emotions than men in middle age. The elder members of the middle-aged generation have significantly better cognitive interchange with their family than the younger members. The middle-aged adults with longer years of marriage demonstrate significantly better cognitive interchange with their family than the ones with shorter years of marriage. Second, the middle-aged generation’s life satisfaction was the focus of research. The results indicated that middle-aged generation is generally content with their life. The elder members of the middle-aged generation perceive significantly greater life satisfaction than the younger counterparts. The middle-aged adults with higher socioeconomic status feel significantly more satisfied with their life than the ones with lower socioeconomic status. The middle-aged adults with longer years of marriage also show significantly greater life satisfaction than the ones with shorter years of marriage. Where family life cycle is concerned, the middle-aged adults at the fourth stage (the stage of middle-aged parents and the stage of retirement) experience significantly greater life satisfaction than the ones at the first stage (the stage of families with preschool-aged children and the stage of families with school-aged children), the second stage (the stage of families with teenagers), and the third stage (the stage of families launching young adults). Furthermore, the middle-aged adults who maintain better relationships with their family are significantly more satisfied with their life than the ones who do not. Among the three dimensions of family relationships, cognitive interchange can best account for the middle-aged adults’ life satisfaction. Both dimensions of cognitive interchange and problem solving among family members provide significantly positive predictions for life satisfaction in every stage of family life cycle.