Associations Between Measures of Emotion and Familial Dynamics in Normative Families With Adolescents

The Family Life Scale (FLS), which includes the dimensions of Cohesion, Adaptability, Communication and Satisfaction, and two measures of emotion were applied to a German-speaking sample of adolescents and their parents in Switzerland. The main goal of the study was to assess the associations between the measures in order to increase our understanding of the dynamics involving emotional and familial factors, particularly in adolescents. Analyses revealed different patterns of association to emerge according to gender in both samples. Indeed, in girls, optimal family functioning was associated with Empathy, while similar trends were found in mothers. In boys, optimal family functioning was associated with Self-esteem, while similar trends were found in fathers. Overall, our data suggest that Empathy and Self-esteem play a significant role in the perception of family dynamics which may, reciprocally, affect emotional experiences in family members.