The Relationship Between Dysfunctional Family Dynamics and Depressive Symptoms Among Young Adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between dysfunctional family dynamics and depressive symptoms, among young adults (ages 18 years to 25 years). The aim is to examine the relationship between dysfunctional family dynamics and depressive symptoms, to investigate the relationship between the two variables. A total of 120 young adults were taken for the study. The Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and Family Cohesion Scale (FACES II) are used to collect the data and a correlation and regression analysis is performed to test the hypotheses. The findings suggest there was a positive correlation between dysfunctional family dynamics and depressive symptoms among young adults. This suggests that higher level of dysfunctional family dynamics is associated with higher level of depressive symptoms among young adults, and vice versa. Several limitations were identified in this study, Firstly, the sample size was relatively small (n=100), which may have affected the statistical power and generalizability of the findings. Additionally, self-report measures were used, which are subject to social desirability bias. Moreover, the data was collected through online form thus increasing the possibility of extraneous variables. These results contribute to the understanding of the relationship between dysfunctional family dynamics and depressive symptoms, among young adults. However, further research with larger and more diverse samples is needed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship.