Family physician should understand the various changes by family life cycle, and know the risk factors which can be expected from each stage. So he can help a family to cope with a change in a new stage. This study was designed to understand the changes of family and marital satisfaction according to the family life cycle.
For this purpose, we surveyed 341 men and women who had visited 3 general hospitals OPD in Seoul and Seochun from May to August in 1990. The family satisfaction(adaptability;6 items, cohesion 8 items) and the marital satisfaction(10 items) was evaluated according to the family life cycle(5 stages).
The results were as follows;
1. The family satisfaction score was higher in stage 5(launched; 52.5) and stage 1(beginning family; 52.4) than in other stages, but there was no significant difference.
2. The family adaptability score was the highest in stage 5(launched; 23.5), and was the lowest in stage 3(school age; 22.0).
The family cohesion score was the highest in stage 1(beginning family; 29.8), and the lowest in stage 4(launching; 28.3)
3. The marital satisfaction score was the highest in stage 1(beginning family; 37.6), and decreased gradually according to the family life cycle, and was the lowest in stage 4 (launched; 31.7), and increased in stage 5(launched; 33.8). There was a significant difference(P<0.01).
4. The marital satisfaction had a significant difference in the items (P<0.01) of personality, role, communication, sexual relationship, family & friends, and the item(P<0.01) of conflict resolution, but had no significant difference in the items of financial management, leisure activities, children, religious orientation.
5. The family satisfaction and the marital satisfaction had a significant correlation in each family life cycle stage (r=0.69, P<0.01).
