A number of research studies have focused on issues related to family structure such as family size, sibling spacing, and gender in an effort to determine how these and other variables impact upon adolescents and their perceptions of family relationships (Kidwell, 1981; Montemayor, 1982). In this brief report, a study conducted by Fallon and Bowles (1997) will be analyzed. The research hypotheses and purpose, research design, results, and authors' conclusions will be assessed.
According to Fallon and Bowles (1997), the purpose of their study was to investigate whether family structure variables and/or family functioning variables best predict the amount of intimate time adolescents spend with family members and peers. Specifically, it was hypothesized that family size would be positively related to the amount of time adolescents spend with family members, particularly mothers. It was also hypothesized that sibling density would influence the amount of time adolescents spend with family members and peers. In other words, low density would be related to more time spent with family members and less with peers and the reverse for high sibling density (Fallon & Bowles, 1997).
The dependent variable in the study was time spent with family or peers. The independent variables were family size and sibling density. Related or potentially intervening variables included intimate time and the gender of family members or parents. Also examined were Family Structure variables consisting of the number of siblings, birth order, sibling spacing, and sibling density. Other variables identified by the Family Functioning Scale included familial intimacy, parenting style, and familial conflict.
Implicit within the research was an examination of the ways in which the gender of adolescents was likely to interact with family structure and family functioning variables to predict or determine time spent with family members...