Adolescents-Family Connectedness: A First Cross-Cultural Research on Parenting and Psychological Adjustment of Children

Connectedness between children and their family is a major factor that distinguishes between collective and individualistic cultures. The Multigenerational Interconnectedness Scale, measuring adolescents-family connectedness was administered to adolescents in nine western and eastern countries. The findings show that connectedness in eastern countries was higher than that in western ones. Female adolescents were more connected to their families than males. Connectedness was higher among families with a higher economic level and where the parents had more education. Financial and functional connectedness was associated with adolescents’ better mental health, whereas emotional connectedness (or dependency) was associated with psychological disorders. The association between connectedness and psychological disorders was not the same across countries.