Relationships between Parent-Adolescent Communication and Family Cohesion and Adaptability: Korean Adolescents Resident in Korea and in America

한국 청소년과 재미교포 청소년이 지각한 부모 자녀간 의사 소통과 가족 응집성 및 적응성간의 관계

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between parent-adolescent communication, family cohesion and family adaptability perceived by Korean adolescents resident in Korea (K-K) and Korean adolescents resident in America (K-A). Subjects were selected from among middle and high school, undergraduate and graduate school students in Korea (N=555) and counterpart students in Los Angeles (N=296). The survey instruments were the Parent-Adolescent Communication Inventory (Barnes & Olson, 1982) and FACES III (Bell, Olson, & Partner, 1982). Major findings were that : (1) K-A adolescents engaged in open communication with their parents more than K-K adolescents. (2) K-A families communicated about their health and life styles more frequently than K-K families, while K-K families communicated about school problems and problems with friends more than K-A families. (3) In both groups, family cohesion was related to family adaptability. That is, when family cohesion was high, family adaptability was also high. (4) When communication styles were open, perceived family cohesion and adaptability was high.