Self-differentiation, family functioning, life satisfaction and attitudes towards marriage among South Korean university students

Abstract

This study attempted to investigate the relationships between self-differentiation, family functioning, life satisfaction, and attitudes toward marriage, and identify factors contributing to the development of these attitudes among university students in South Korea. Participants were 759 students attending five universities located in Daegu and Gyeongsangbukdo, South Korea. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered between June 10 and July 12, 2013. The analysis revealed that attitudes toward marriage significantly differed by gender, age, school year, and religion, and were positively correlated with self-differentiation, family functioning, and life satisfaction. Self-differentiation was positively correlated with family functioning and life satisfaction. Family functioning was positively correlated with life satisfaction. Factors that significantly influenced attitudes toward marriage were life satisfaction, gender, age, self-differentiation, and family functioning that together explained approximately 16.1% of the total variance. These results suggest that positive attitudes toward marriage among Korean university students can be fostered by providing marriage education programs that increase life satisfaction and improve self-differentiation and the quality of family relationships.