Is Family Cohesion a Risk or Protective Factor During Adolescent Development?

Judith Baer
School of Social Work
Rutgers University
536 George St.
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
732/932-2623
FAX:  732/932-8181
jcbaer@rci.rutgers.edu
Family cohesion is important to family functioning and levels of cohesion have been implicated in both positive and negative outcomes.  The curvilinear hypothesis suggests that high levels of cohesion lead to enmeshment and low levels indicate poor family support.  Both result in poor individuation and foreclosed psychosocial maturity (Barbarin, 1984; Barber, Olsen & Shagle, 1994; Olson, Russell & Sprenkle, 1983).  However, some research has not supported the curvilinear hypothesis (Anderson, 1986; Anderson & Gavazzi, 1990; Farrell & Barnes, 1993).  However cohesion may not be static and levels may shift across the family life cycle.

This study investigated the shape of the family cohesion growth curve, a test of the curvilinear vs linear hypothesis; and examined the relationship of cohesion to adolescent deviance using cohort sequential design (N = 4677 adolescents).  Results showed a good fit of the data to the model and the different age groups converged. Fit indices were X2 =626 (df,7) p>.001, Bentler Bonett = .97; CFI = .97; RMSEA = .06 (Confidence interval of RMSEA = .05-.06).  Fit indices where the slope was estimated yielded X2 = 285 (df, 3), Bentler-Bonett - .98, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .06.  These findings indicate that significant linear change occurred across the period studied. The last analysis tested the relationship between changes in the trajectory of family cohesion and deviance.  Although it was predicted that cohesion would be negatively correlated with deviance, results showed that deviance was predicted by the changing trends in family cohesion.  The changing nature of these patterns and the relevance of such change to family functioning have important clinical applicability as well as major implications for sample selection especially in cross sectional studies where the life cycle of the family may be an important variant.

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