Family connectedness and its association with psychological well-being among emerging adults across four cultural contexts

Abstract

When a person is actively involved with another person, object, group, or environment, then the person is said to be socially connected (Hagerty, LynchSauer, Patusky, & Bouwsema, 1993). Karcher, Holcomb, and Zambrano posit that connectedness reflects a youth’s volitional involvement in relationships, contexts and activities that they find worthwhile and important, and that provides positive experiences (Karcher, Holcomb, & Zambrano, 2008). Connectedness is ecological in nature and it involves all-important micro-, macro-and meso-systems that the adolescent experiences (Karcher & Santos, 2011). The micro-system here includes important relationships such as parents, siblings, teachers, and peers. The macrosystem is made up of institutions in the youth’s life that he or she experiences on a day-to-day basis such as family, school, religious, and ethnic/cultural groups. Additionally, connectedness is assumed to be developmental in nature and may develop as a result of: (a) attachment to caregivers, (b) interpersonal support, and (c) group level experiences (Karcher et al., 2008).