Relationship between Children's Personality Characteristics and Parents' Personalities in Different Family Structures and Spiritual Atmosphere

Objective:To explore the characteristics of family spiritual atmosphere of different family structures,children's and parents' personalities,and the relationship between those variables.Method:6573 families with children(aged from 3-16)in Wuhu district were investigated with stratified cluster sampling method.The parents were asked to fill in the Family Environment Scale,Adult Eysenck Personality Questionnaire,and a questionnaire about general situation.Also 3754 students(from grade 5 to grade 9)were involved,finishing Children Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.Results:The factor values of intimacy,achievement,and moral-religious emphasis in single parent families(SPFs)were all lower than that in nuclear families(NFs)or stem families(SFs)(eg.the values of intimacy were 6.9±2.2/7.7±1.7,7.7±1.7;P0.001);the value of conflict in SPFs was higher than that in SFs(3.0±2.0/2.5±1.9,P0.001);the values of emotional expression(5.6±1.6)and conflict(2.9±2.0)in NFs were higher than that in SFs(5.5±1.6,2.5±1.9)(P0.001);the values of parent's spiritual quality and neuroticism in SPFs were higher than that in NFs and SFs(the values of father's spiritual quality were:50.8±11.3/47.5±10.8,47.6±11.0;P=0.001);the value of father's spiritual quality in NFs was higher than that in SFs(47.3±10.4/46.2±10.3,P0.001);the value of children's spiritual quality in SPFs was higher than that in NFs and SFs(54.5±11.0/51.2±11.3,51.4±10.7;P0.001).Regression Analysis indicates:family conflict and mother's neuroticism had an effect on children's spiritual quality and neuroticism,respectively(β=0.309,0.242)(P0.001).Conclusion:The spiritual atmosphere in NFs and SFs is superior to that in SPFs,and children's and parents' personalities are superior to those in SPFs;spiritual atmosphere and father's personality in SFs are superior to those in NFs.Well family spiritual atmosphere and parent's sound personality are good for healthy development of children's personality.