The Importance of Family Bonding Routines on Adolescent Behaviour and Well-being
Written By: Thomas Liang
Bonding routines, such as family dinners and designated “family time,” are an integral part of family life; they act as a source of connection and encourage family cohesion. In the context of adolescent behaviour and well-being, Dr. Helen Pote, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of London, argues that these aspects of family function have a profound effect on adolescents’ behaviour, social competence, and mental health (2020). These family routines, however, have been heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to extensive lockdown measures and long periods of isolation. Dr. Evan Imber-Black, a professor of psychiatry, describes how many families changed the way they approached their traditional routines as a result: birthday parties and weddings shifted from large gatherings to drive-by events, children of parents who were first responders were read bedtime stories via Zoom, and only one or two family members were allowed to attend the funeral of their loved ones (2020). This change in normalcy was particularly noticeable among teenagers. Dr. Prateek Panda and his fellow doctors reported that 79.4% of children were affected negatively by the pandemic and quarantine, with irritability, depression, and anxiety as the leading concerns (Panda et al., 2020).
Thus, in order to understand why family bonding routines (FBRs) are of such importance to teenagers specifically, it is necessary to analyze their benefits. Overall, FBRs have a positive effect on adolescent behaviour and well-being for three main reasons: they promote healthy and discourage risky behaviours, improve the family dynamic, and increase mental well-being.
Influences Behaviours
First, FBRs promote healthy behaviours among adolescents. One of the most common and significant routines, in particular, is the family dinner. Kate Levin, a senior researcher at the University of Edinburgh, explored how family mealtime routines affected adolescent toothbrushing frequency and oral health behaviour: The results showed that eating breakfast and family meals consistently were associated with higher odds of toothbrushing, and therefore better oral hygiene and health (Levin & Currie, 2010).
Likewise, FBRs also discourage risky behaviours among adolescents. In a similar study, Levin et al. found that family meal frequency was closely related to a range of adolescent risk behaviours, such as substance use, sexual activity, fighting, and bullying (2011). In short, children of families who ate fewer meals per week were more likely to engage in risky behaviours, while those who ate family meals more frequently were associated with a reduced likelihood of risk behaviours (Levin et al., 2011). Furthermore, Dr. Eisenberg, a professor of pediatrics, found that regular meals in adolescence may serve as a protective factor in the development of substance use, especially in females. Adolescents who reported consistent family meals (more than 5 times per week) were associated with “significantly lower odds” of substance use, which included cigarette smoking, alcohol, and marjuana use (Eisenberg et al., 2008). On the other hand, adolescents who did not report regular family meals were twice as likely to engage in substance use (Eisenberg et al., 2008).
To generalize, Dr. Jayne Fulkerson and her fellow professors at University of Minnesota demonstrated a negative correlation between family meal frequency and high-risk behaviour. However, their findings also indicated that the family meal serves more than just a “proxy for general functioning” (Fulkerson et al., 2006). Family meal gatherings may provide a sense of closure, intimacy, and family togetherness. They may also provide physical, emotional, and psychological advantages to all family members, strengthening parent-child relationships and the family identity (Levin et al., 2011; Fulkerson et al., 2006). These additional benefits will be discussed in the following sections.
Increase Mental Well-being
Next, FBRs are essential to holistic health, but become especially important in the context of adolescent mental health. Firstly, Femke Koome, a researcher of health, found that FBRs serve as “an indicator of adolescent well-being, providing structure and continuity during times of stress” (Koome et al., 2012). Consistent FBRs serve not only as a stable structure to support the functioning of a household, but also as a medium for engagement and deeper connection, further enhancing the family life and relationships (Koome et al., 2012). As such, the maintenance of family routines is seen as fundamental to the well-being of both the adolescents and family as a whole (Koome et al., 2012). Similarly, a study from Elena Compañ, a researcher of health and social science, concluded that adolescents who reported more mental health complaints ate less frequently with their parents than their “active” counterparts (Compañ et al., 2002). They also shared less activities and practiced fewer FBRs - indicating a lower level of satisfaction in the family environment (Compañ et al., 2002). Likewise, regular practice of FBRs may cause an increase in social connectedness (i.e., a feeling of belonging and purpose to a certain group) and decrease in negative emotions. To verify this, psychology researcher Sara Malaquias noted several relevant conclusions in her study: 1) stronger family ritual meaning was associated with higher levels of social connectedness, 2) family ritual meaning was related to lower levels of depression symptoms, and 3) adolescents who reported a higher sense of social connectedness tended to have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety (Malaquias et al., 2014).
It is imperative to mention that FBRs may influence adolescent behaviour and well-being in an interconnected fashion. For example, as Malaquias et al. (2014) describe: Stronger family ritual meaning may contribute to a higher sense of social connectedness, which in turn, results in lower levels of depression and anxiety. As a result, family ritual meaning does not affect levels of depression directly, but rather indirectly through social connectedness (Malaquias et al., 2014). To summarize, the findings from these three studies indicate that there is, once again, a positive trend between FBRs and mental well-being (or alternatively, FBRs are negatively related to higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression). Moreover, the interplay between all these familial factors truly determine adolescent well-being and behaviour; the implications of FBRs should not be considered as simple cause-and-effect relationships, but rather as a web of connections that directly or indirectly impact one another.
Improve the Family Dynamic
Lastly, FBRs improve the family dynamic by improving family cohesion and strengthening family bonds. A study from Dr. Carla Crespo, a professor of psychology, revealed a positive correlation between parents’ perception of family meaning and adolescents’ perception of family cohesion (Crespo et al., 2011). In other words, teenagers reported a higher level of family cohesion when their parents placed a higher priority on FBRs (Crespo et al., 2011). To examine why this is the case, the researchers drew on previous research from Dr. Barbara Fiese, a professor of psychology, and reasoned that relationships are fundamentally based on interactions between people. Therefore, the more often people interact with one another, the more likely they are to “derive meaning” from their interactions (Fiese et al., 2002), and become closer over time (Crespo et al., 2011). This leads to a “strong sense of belonging to a specific group” and contributes towards a shared family identity, thus improving the family cohesion (Crespo et al., 2011). Similarly, cohesive families with strong family connections may actually look forward to FBRs and be more motivated to maintain these family rituals (Crespo et al., 2011).
In addition, families of children with medical conditions may find FBRS even more valuable. Susana Santos, a researcher of health psychology and colleague of Crespo, found the exact same trend when studying family rituals and their effect on youth with asthma in the family environment: “Stronger family ritual meaning predicted a more positive family environment of higher cohesion levels and lower conflict levels” (Santos et al., 2012). A more recent study from Santos et al. (2015) investigated the role of family cohesion in cancer patients and their families, and also concluded that when families reported higher levels of family rituals, they also reported more family cohesion and hope.
Finally, this increase in family cohesion can also be effectively explained by the benefits of ritualistic synchrony. Psychologist Dr. Michele Gelfand and her team demonstrated how synchronous behaviour, such as FBRs, results in an “increase of prosociality, cooperation, and social affiliation” among participants (Gelfand et al., 2020). Moreover, synchronous rituals increase perceptions of social bonding, improve the ability to get along with other people, and allow group members to feel more trusting and unified towards one another (Gelfand et al., 2020). These factors ultimately lead to an increase in family cohesion, thus improving the family dynamic.
FBRs are Difficult to Maintain
Although FBRs offer immense benefits to the family context, they often require a lot of time and energy from the family members. Critics then argue that FBRs are especially difficult to maintain during stressful times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and should be reconsidered. Dr. Carolyn Bates, a psychologist and assistant professor of pediatrics, investigated the impact of the coronavirus on family routines, and recognized the challenges of upholding FBRs during the pandemic. The loss of regular social structures outside of home (e.g., attending school, going to work, and extracurricular activities), inconsistent or demanding work schedules, socioeconomic factors, and the long period of isolation for children during quarantine all contributed to the difficulty of maintenance of family routines (Bates et al., 2021). As a result, the researchers found that overall, families engaged in fewer FBRs during the pandemic compared to prior to the pandemic (Bates et al., 2021).
Dr. John Helsloot, a professor of ethnology, conducted a similar study in which he explored how Netherlandian citizens are affected by the stress of preparation (and execution) for December holiday rituals, specifically Christmas. He found that just over half of the survey respondents reported experiencing some type of stress while preparing for Christmas; some respondents of this category complained of “edginess”, “uncertainty and discontent”, or feeling “agitated” (Helsloot, 2011). Another group of respondents reported the exact opposite: they welcomed the feeling of stress, claiming the experience was “pleasant” and empowered them with “a kind of adrenaline” (Helsloot, 2011). Most surprisingly, the final group of respondents reported that they had “shaken off” celebrating Christmas altogether due to the heightened level of stress (Helsloot, 2011). Thus, these two studies confirm that “maintaining consistent family routines” were difficult during the COVID pandemic (Bates et al., 2021), and that during times of great stress or hardship, people may be discouraged from participating in FBRs completely.
However, in the same study, Bates et al. (2021) also identified that higher engagements in FBRs during the pandemic buffered COVID-19 related stress and resulted in improved family functioning, which is consistent with the existing literature. Further, her team found that there were “positive associations” of performing FBRs, regardless of whether the families previously engaged in family routines; this therefore suggests that there are “acute and immediate benefits” from FBRs (Bates et al., 2021). All in all, the benefits of performing FBRs seem to heavily outweigh the difficulty of maintaining them, particularly in the long term. As Dr. Fiese recommends, families should, despite its challenges, prioritize their engagement in routines and rituals as it is a crucial part of contemporary family life (Fiese et al., 2002).
Conclusion
In conclusion, adolescent behaviour and well-being is positively influenced by FBRs, as they promote healthy and discourage risky behaviours, improve the family dynamic, and increase mental well-being. Finally, the implications of this study is that FBRs are important to family life, especially to adolescents. Therefore, parents should strive to engage meaningfully with their children as often as they can. Furthermore, personal problems, such as negative emotions, may actually root back to issues in the family setting, so it is important to consider how the family environment can affect the likelihood of developing adverse situations for the adolescent. In terms of limitations, some of the sources used in this study were slightly dated, so their findings may not be as relevant. The results of certain studies were also selective (e.g., the conclusions from Eisenberg’s Family Meals and Substance Use applied primarily to females). Because the consensus is unclear, further research is required when considering a comprehensive solution with FBRs.
Works Cited
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