Structural and Interpersonal Family Influences on Adolescent Self-Conception

Abstract

A model linking several structural and interpersonal family variables with the self-concept variables of self-esteem and son/daughter identity salience (defined as the relative importance of being a son or daughter for defining one's self) is developed and estimated for a sample of 655 adolescents in grades 9 through 12. The family variables examined include family size, family type, family support, and four measures of family conflict. Respondent's age and measures of parental education are also included in the model, and separate estimates for boys and girls are obtained. Of the various family variables, family support is found to have the largest effects on the self-concept variables (yielding positive coefficients for both boys and girls). Additional analyses showed that the increase in son/daughter identity salience accompanying increased family support appears to involve a decrease in the importance one attaches to one's identity as a dating person (and vice-versa). Among the control variables in the model, father's education is found to affect family support positively among girls and to have a negative effect on the salience of the daughter identity. Implications of the results are discussed.