Koh Qai-Ni

Psychology (Sunway) | Year 3 | Degree: BSc (Hons) Psychology

Effect of Family Mealtimes and Interparental Conflict on Young Adults’ Self-Esteem

A young adult’s self-esteem development continues to be influenced by environmental factors such as the family. A healthy self-esteem is needed to successfully overcome challenges faced in young adulthood. Therefore, the present study aims to understand how two-family factors such as family mealtimes and interparental conflicts affect an individual’s self-esteem. A correlational study using online survey as the method of data collection was employed. The sample consists of 290 Malaysian young adults (65.5% of them being females) aged between 18-30 years old (M = 21.44, SD = 2.16). Findings were analysed using Pearson correlation, multiple regressions and t-tests. Findings showed that frequency of family mealtimes affected young adults’ self-esteem positively; interparental conflict affected young adults’ self-esteem negatively. Furthermore, females have lower self-esteem scores as compared to males. The results showed that family factors continue to play an important role in a person’s self-esteem even upon reaching young adult adulthood. Society need to place greater importance in having more frequent meals as a family but under appropriate situations. Although it is common for disagreements to occur occasionally, it is crucial for parents to ensure the conflicts are resolved quickly and peacefully to reduce its negative impact on their children.