Positive Family Environment at Adolescence Crucial for Happy Married Life

The family environment of a teenager can predict the quality of his/her married life, a new study says.

Robert Ackerman, psychological scientist from the University of Texas and his team initiated to investigate the benefits of a positive family climate during childhood on future relationships and married life.

For the study, investigators looked at nearly 300 individuals who were part of the Iowa Youth and Families Project. Information about the family environment that the participants used to have as seventh grade students was collected and analyzed.

Researchers found that teenagers who grew up in a healthy and positive family environment had more successful family lives 20 years later.

Participants who had a positive family engagement during adolescence were found engaging more positively to their spouses and reported more relationship satisfaction than others.

"Individuals' unique expressions of positive engagement in their families of origin were linked to the degree of positive engagement these adolescents later exhibited toward their spouses," the authors wrote.

Interestingly, the healthy environment at adolescence was found influencing their spouses too.

"A positive family climate during adolescence for one marital partner was also associated with positive marital outcomes for both partners. Overall, our results suggest that the climate in one's family of origin may have long-term significance for one's interpersonal relationships," the researchers said.

The results of the study have been published in Psychological Science.