Adolescents' perceptions of family functioning in the United Arab Emirates

A sample of 710 subjects between 14 and 19 years of age were examined to assess psychological health of United Arab Emirates (UAE) families with adolescent members. The Family Functioning Questionnaire (FFQ) based upon the adolescent's perception of his or her family life and climate contains seven dimensions that constitute the family functioning process: family structure, emotional fulfillment, internal relations, behavioral control, value transmission, basic requirements, and external relations. Results indicate that the adolescents perceived their families to be operating more toward the functional than dysfunctional end of the scale. Males scored their families more functional in family structure and in external relations more significantly than did females. Females perceived their families as more functioning in internal relations, behavioral control, and basic requirements. However, a trend was found in favor of males on emotional fulfillment. Family functioning scores were higher in upper social economic status (SES) families than in other SES levels.