Family rituals in emerging adults: links to coping, life satisfaction, family climate, and future ritual initiation

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between family rituals and a number of adjustment outcomes, and to determine whether family climate would moderate this relationship. Survey measures, focusing on life satisfaction, coping mechanisms, aspects of family rituals and family cohesion/adaptability, were completed by participants to collect this information. An interview was also developed to glean information about specific family rituals. A sample of 100 participants with a mean age of 19.46 years old was included in the final analyses. The interviews were coded into quantitative subscales and correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed to test the relationships between the various measures. The results indicated that there is a positive relationship between family rituals and adjustment outcomes specific to this study and this relationship was moderated by family cohesion. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for the importance of rituals within the family.