Relationship between family function and self-esteem in college students

Objective To explore the association between family function and self-esteem in college students. Methods Totally 2560 college students were sampled. They were assessed with the self-compiled questionnaire on family information, Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale (SES) and family assessment device (FAD). Results The students from only-child family (30.32±4.19) scored higher on SES than students with siblings (29.54±3.97). The students with experience of grandparents raising (29.84±4.19) scored lower on SES than students raised by parents (30.29±4.13). Students from harmonious family and with monthly incoming above 10000 Yuan scored higher on SES than other groups. All the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01, P<0.05). There was significant correlation between SES and all of the dimensions of FAD (r=-0.260--0.379, P=0.000). Multiple regression showed that such dimensions of FAD as role, communication, behavior control, problem solving and general functioning, as well as social economic status of the family played important role on self-esteem of the students(β=0.039--0.169, P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusion Family factors have significant impact on self-esteem of the college students, especially family role and communication which are important positive predictors on self-esteem of college students. Key words: Family function; Self-esteem; College students