THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN DIFFERENT FAMILY DYNAMICS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AMONG COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The current research focused on the role of family structure in family conflicts. It further investigated how family conflicts and meal time with family effect depression anxiety and stress among college and university students. The sample consisted of participants N=300 in the age range of 17 to 25 years .The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and a family conflict scale was administered on subjects belonging to different family systems to measure the correlation between family conflicts and symptoms of these disorders. Findings revealed that individuals from joint families reported more family conflict in comparison to nuclear families. In addition a significant and positive relationship was observed between family conflicts and psychological disorders, across nuclear and joint family systems. Meal time with family was found to be negative predictor of psychological disorders. These findings highlighted critical role of family dynamics in influencing mental health outcomes and emphasize the need for targeted interventions to improve family relationships and reduce psychological distress