Study: Strong Connection to Family Helps Children Succeed -C2

Children are more likely to succeed if they have strong connections to their family, a new study suggests.

While previous research has shown that family connection protects children from negative life results, there has been little research on how this connection helps a child succeed.

Researchers from New York's Columbia University studied data from over 37,000 children aged 11 to 13, taken from the International Survey of Children's Well-Being.

The survey was done in 26 countries between 2016 and 2019.

In the study, published in the journal Pediatrics, "family connection" was divided into five categories: care, support, safety, respect and participation.

The children were given statements for each category — for example, "There are people in my family who care about me" for the "care" category — and asked how much they agreed or disagreed.

Succeeding, or "flourishing," was based on six categories: self-acceptance, purpose in life, positive relationships with others, personal growth, autonomy and "environmental mastery" — or being able to have an impact on the situation they live in and the events in their lives.

Children were asked how much they agreed with statements like, "I like being the way I am" for the "self-acceptance" category, or "I feel positive about my future" for "purpose in life."

The results showed that children who reported the highest level of family connection were 49% more likely to flourish than those with the weakest connections.

According to the researchers, the results show the importance of family connection in helping a child succeed.

They also said this research could help adults better understand children's feelings about connection and flourishing, and help them build strong relationships.