International Journal of Environment, Ecology,
Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS)
ISSN(P): 2250-0065; ISSN(E): 2321-0109
Vol. 6, Issue 2, Apr 2016, 13- 24
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.
INFLUENCE OF FAMILY ENVIRONMENT ON MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS
AT FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
TARUNA MALHOTRA
Assistant Professor, Vaish College of Education, Rohtak, Haryana, India
ABSTRACT
Family environment is the most important institution for the existence and continuance of human life and the
development of personality traits. Home is the place where everybody remains the most comfortable and is not artificial,
and the impact of family members upon his/her personality, character and general well being can’t be evaded. The
functioning and management style of a family affects the overall development of the child, especially at the formal
operational stage of the cognitive development. Amidst the understanding the importance of family environment it
becomes crucial to decipher the influence of family environment on the mental health of students at formal operational
stage. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the influence of different sub scales of family environment
on the mental health of students on the basis of gender. The sample comprised 200 students of formal operational stage
selected from the district of Rohtak in the state of Haryana.Family Environment Scale by Bhatia &Chadha(1993) and
family environment and mental health of students of formal operational stage. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze
the data. The analysis of the study revealed that cohesion (COH), acceptance& caring (ACC), active recreational
orientation (ARO) and independence (IND) positively influence the mental health whereas expressiveness (EXP),
organization (ORG)and control (CON) affect the mental health of students of formal operational stage in negative
direction
Original Article
Mental Health Battery (MHB-ss) by Singh & Gupta (revised in 2008) were administered to ascertain the influence of
KEYWORDS: 200 Students of Formal Operational Stage, Mental Health Battery (Mhb-Ss)
Received: Feb 13, 2016; Accepted: Feb 27, 2016; Published: Mar 10, 2016; Paper Id.: IJEEFUSAPR20163
INTRODUCTION
Overview
In present scenario, due to manifold changes in various aspects of our family system such as working
parents, enhancement of nuclear families, urbanization, mobilization, technological revolution and influence of
Western culture, such kind of variations has affected the foundation of the unit, family. Modernization process is
accompanied with manifold problems, anxieties and worries to human life, adversely affecting the core family
values such as spending quality time, sincerity, morality and humanity and as such there is a great transition in
human society. In this age of increasing urbanization and technology, man has lost his identity and has become a
part of social machine (Dagar& Dull,1994). But adolescents must learn how to cope with psychological stress,
handle peer pressure, deal with their emotions, resolve conflicts, build bridges with friends, family and school,
develop self-confidence, safeguard themselves from high pressure marketing strategies, particularly of the alcohol
industry, as well as cope with other stresses like academic competition and a hankering for material gains and
these all necessitate having good mental health (Malhotra & Gupta, 2014).
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Taruna Malhotra
Adolescent stage is known as the stage of ‘stress and storm’, as physical, intellectual, social, emotional and many
major changes occur in the child. Vice a versa, it is also identified as the ‘golden period of human life’ as the child is at the
peak of his developmental phase and blossoms like a fresh flower. Formal operational stage of cognitive development,
given by Piaget entails that during adolescence that cognitive development reaches its fullest potential—formal operational
thought. During this period, Adolescents gradually develop the ability to use hypothetic-deductive reasoningand extend
their logical thinking. Growing physicallyand mentally, at a rapid speed at this stage, many factors like home environment,
peer group, school environment, mental health and many others play crucial role in overall development of the child.
So,itbecomes imperative for teachers, parents, and other influential people in adolescents’ lives to understand these
different stages to be able to provide the appropriate environment at home and school for the development of good mental
health. Adolescence is an important developmental phase along the path to adulthood, years during which youth become
increasingly independent from their families (Santrock, 2014). Yet parents and other family members still play a vital role
in the promotion of adolescents’ well-being, by providing a positive, stable and emotional bond which supports the
adolescents to explore their changing identity.
In adolescence, the influence of friends and peers take on greater importance, but research clearly demonstrates
the continued significance of parents in shaping the behaviors and choices of teens as they face the challenges of growing
up (Borkowsky et. al, 2002). Researches indicate that close parent/adolescent relationships, good parenting skills, shared
family activities and positive parent role modeling all have well-documented effects on adolescent health and
development(Hair et al, 2005; Parker & Benson, 2004). The family environment can be a strong source of support for
developing adolescents, providing close relationships, strong parenting skills, good communication, and modeling positive
behaviors. It can also be a problematic environment when those supports are lacking, or when negative adult behaviors like
smoking and heavy drinking are present. Where adolescent health is concerned, clearly the family matters, and parents
matter.
The environment of the family shares the utmost influential space in child's life as it is the nucleus of all other
social institutions. Parents are the foremost educator in any child’s life. A child’s family and home environment has a
strong impact on the personality of child. This impact is stronger during the child’s early years but continues throughout
their school years.Collins Student’s Dictionary defines family as “a social group consisting of parents and their children”.
A family is a primary social institution which is based on intimacy and frequent face-toface contact with one
another,sharing commitment, responsibility andmutual enduring and comprehensive influences. As a familyis made up of
different individuals living together so each family has its unique setting.Both overall family system functioning and
parental behaviours are positively related to adolescent well-being (Mullis et al., 2004). Family arguments during
adolescence are to be expected, and may even serve an important developmental purpose (Santrock, 2014). Positive
relationships with parents, characterized by low conflict, high levels of support, and open communication are especially
important for teens as they navigate the physical and emotional changes of adolescence (Hair et. al, 2009). However, teens
who experience high levels of conflict with and/or low levels of support from their parents are more likely to engage in risk
behaviors, such as early drug use or drinking and smoking, and are more likely to struggle with depressive symptoms
(Dodge et al,2006; Gutman et al, 2011&Sheeber et al, 2007).Ackerman et al, (2013) also found that that the role of the
family context in adolescent well-being goes beyond the importance of the direct relationship between a parent and a child.
Other factors, such as family members’ levels of engagement with each other, how much hostility or how many negative
interactions are part of family interactions, and satisfaction with relationships between parents all play a role. Parents with
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965
NAAS Rating: 3.63
Influence of Family Environment on Mental Health of Students at
Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development
15
high levels of marital satisfaction are more likely to demonstrate good parenting practices, such as warmth, responsiveness,
and affection, which in turn can positively affect adolescent well-being (Santrock, 2014). Researches indicate that frequent
parent-adolescent communication and positive identification with parents are associated with less drug use, including less
drinking and smoking among teens (Tobler, 2010). Similarly, adolescents who report that they have a good relationship
with at least one parent are more likely to report good physical and mental health (Hair, 2009) Adolescents who report
difficulty talking with their parents are more likely to drink alcohol frequently, have problems with binge drinking, smoke,
and feel unhappy (UDHHSA, 2003).
Mental health lies at the heart of an adolescent’s social, professional and personal development yet formative
yearsare particularly exposed to mental health problems. The 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health defined
mental health as “successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with
other people, and the ability to change and to cope with adversity. Mental health is defined by WHO as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community (WHO, 2010, p. 19). Mental health
is perceived as a positive source contributing to asset development individually, socially, and economically (WHO, 2004).
The World Health Organization conceptualized mental health separate from mental ill-health and defined the concept as: a
state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can
work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community. Bhatia (1982) considers
mental health as the ability to balance feelings, desires, ambitions and ideals in one's daily living. It means the ability to
face and accept the realities of life.Better mental health outcomes in adolescents are characterized by greater adaptation in
family, society, and school environment, improved quality of life (Hoagwood et al., 1996; USDHHS, 1999).
Various studies have been carried out in different parts of the world to identify factors that impact on students‟
mental health since poor mental health has been recognised as the leading cause of suicidal behaviour, a sense of
helplessness (Kay, Li, Xiao, Nokkaew& Park, 2009) and lower academic achievements (Puskar& Bernardo, 2007).
According to previous studies, factors that influence mental health are demographic backgrounds such as age and gender
(Yen, Hsu, Liu, Huang, Ko, Yen & Cheng, 2006), academic field and academic year (Dahlin, Joneberg, &Runeson, 2005),
personality traits (Goodwin & Friedman, 2006) and loneliness (Wang, Yuen & Slaney, 2009).
Rationale of the Study
As children grow older and have the ability to make choices and spend more time away from their families’
supervision, they meet new challenges and face more peer pressure to engage in the risk-taking behaviours, including
sexual activity, all of which can result from and contribute to poor mental health. Building social and emotional skills is
important to maintaining mental health in students in middle and high school, so programmes that address these new
challenges often combine elements of both promotion and prevention to reduce the risk factors for poor mental health in
adolescence (WHO, 2004).
The rise in mental health issues in adolescents is an important issue concern in any family and for the community
counselors, and educators. Research has revealed an increasing incidence of depression and other mental health issues
among youth (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). As the aim of education is to provide healthy
personality for individuals and one of the important ingredients of education, the role of mental health is crucial not only in
formal education centers but also, in informal education –such as family and societies.
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Family, the most imperative developmental environment for children, is known to have an impact on children’s
psycho-social development (Aufseeser, Jekielek& Brown, 2006) and mental health (Kasen et al., 1990). Family and mental
health are interrelated with each other as both affect the cognitive development of the child. This paper elucidates
children’s emotional and behavioural problems in the family environment by studying adolescents’ development of mental
health and investigates the consequences of different dimensions of family environment affecting children’s mental
health.As, good and acceptingfamily climate and a good mental health both seem to associate with children’s adjustment at
home, but there isdearth of studies which try to study the effect family environment on mental health of students at formal
operational stage. So, the present investigator visualized a need to study the influence of family environment on mental
health of students at formal operational stage of cognitive development.
Objectives
Amidst the understanding of the importance of school environment, it becomes essential to make out whether the
school environment really influences the mental health of the adolescents. The objectives of the study were:
•
To study the different dimensions of family environment of students at formal operational stage of cognitive
development.
•
To study the difference in different dimensions of school environment viz, cohesion (COH), expressiveness
(EXP), Conflict (COF), acceptance& caring (ACC), independence (IND), active recreational orientation (ARO),
organization (ORG) and control (CON) of students on the basis of gender at formal operational stage of cognitive
development.
•
To study the mental health of students at formal operational stage of cognitive development.
•
To study the difference in mental health viz. emotional stability (ES), overall adjustment ( OA), autonomy (AY),
security-insecurity (SI), self- concept (SC) and intelligence (IG) of students on the basis of gender at formal
operational stage of cognitive development.
•
To study the influence of family environment on mental health of students at formal operational stage of cognitive
development.
Hypothesis
•
There is no difference in different dimensions of family environment viz, cohesion (COH), expressiveness (EXP),
Conflict (COF), acceptance& caring (ACC), independence (IND), active recreational orientation (ARO),
organization (ORG) and control (CON) of students on the basis of gender at formal operational stage of cognitive
development.
•
There is no difference in mental health viz. emotional stability (ES), overall adjustment (OA), autonomy (AY),
security-insecurity (SI), self- concept (SC) and intelligence (IG) of students on the basis of gender at formal
operational stageof cognitive development.
•
There is no influence of family environment on mental health of students at formal operational stage of cognitive
development.
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965
NAAS Rating: 3.63
Influence of Family Environment on Mental Health of Students at
Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development
17
Methodology
The study employed a descriptive survey method; the details are given as under:
Sample
The sample comprised of 200 students (100 boys and 100 girls) from the district of Rohtak. Five schools were
selected from the district Rohtak by convenient sampling method. Further, from each school 40 students were identified
based on random sampling. Among these students there were an equal number of boys and girls studying at formal
operational stage of cognitive development. The students were selected from class IX.
Tools Used
•
Family Environment Scale by Bhatia & Chadha (1993): FES is based on the family environment scale by Moos
(1974). This research tool is designed tostudy the impact of family environment. The scale consists of three
dimensions which are taken from Moos’ scale. Although the concept was taken from Moos’ scale, all the
dimensions in each dimension were operationally defined with certain modifications of original dimensions. FES
contains 69 statements, divided in to 8 parts, viz..
•
Relationship Dimensions
•
Cohesion (COH): It includes, “degree of commitment, help, and support which family members provide for
one another.”It contains 13 items.
•
Expressiveness (EX): It indicates, “theextent to which family members, are encouraged to act openly and
express their feelings and thoughts directly.” It contains 9 items.
•
Conflict (COF): It implies, “amount of openly expressed aggression and conflict among family members.” It
contains 12 items.
•
Acceptance and Caring (ACC): It refers to, “the extent to which the members are unconditionally accepted
and the degree to which caring is expressed in the family.” It contains 12 items.
•
Personal Growth Dimensions
•
Independence (IE): It refers to “the extent to which family members are assertive and independently make
their own decisions.” It contains 9 items.
•
Active- Recreational Orientation (ARO): It includes, “the extent of participation in social and recreational
activities.” It contains 8 items.
•
System Maintenance Dimensions:
•
Organization: It refers to, “degree of importance of clear recognition structure in planning family activities
and responsibilities.” It contains 2 items.
•
•
Control (CON): It indicates “degree of limit setting within a family.” It contains 2 items.
Mental Health Battery (MHB-ss) by Singh & Gupta (2008): MHB intends to assess the status of mental health of
persons in the age range of 13 to 22 yrs. The battery has 130 items, divide in to six parts viz:
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Taruna Malhotra
•
Part I: Emotional Stability (ES) contains 15 items;
•
Part II: Over all Adjustment (OA) contains 40 items;
•
Part III: Autonomy (AY) contains 15 items;
•
Part IV: Security-Insecurity (SI) contains 15 items;
•
Part V: Self-Concept (SC) contains 15 items;
•
Part VI: Intelligence (IG) contains 30 items.
The scoring of MHB comprise two sections – Section A and Section B. for Section-A, item nos. I to IV of
preliminary information is given weight to determine socio economic status of the examinee and for Section- B if the
itemsfally with the answerthe scores of the items in the scoring key are given a score of + 1, and a score of zero if they
don’t fally.
Data Analysis
The data collected through family environment scale and mental health battery was analysed through inferential
statistics. To identify the family environment of students of formal operational stage, manual ofFES was used where as to
find the mental health of students’ formal operational stage, a manual of MHB was referred. To compare the family
environment and mental health of students of formal operational stage the t- test was used and to study the influence of
family environment on mental health regression analysis was done,
Results of the Study
The data was analysed in the light of hypothesis designed for the study and findings has been encapsulated in the
following heads for better comprehensibility of the readers.
Difference in Family Environment of Students at Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development on the Basis
of Gender
For understanding the difference in family environment of students on the basis of gender atformal operational
stage of cognitive development the mean, SD and t-value was calculated for every dimension and it has been presented
Table 1: Comparison of Dimensions of School Environment of Students at
Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development
S. No.
Variables
1
COH
2
EX
3
COF
4
ACC
5
IND
6
ARO
7
ORG
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965
Gender
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
N
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Mean
52.66
48.83
35.39
32.81
45.84
48.25
53.35
51.72
38.84
36.73
34.39
32.11
8.42
SD
4.06
4.63
5.92
6.75
4.50
4.64
4.70
3.69
5.07
45.29
1.63
2.72
2.33
T-Value
Remarks
6.22
P<.01
2.87
P<.01
3.73
P<.01
2.73
P<.01
3.79
P<.01
7.19
P<.01
1.55
P.>.01
NAAS Rating: 3.63
Influence of Family Environment on Mental Health of Students at
Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development
8
CON
Girls
Boys
Girls
100
100
100
19
8.78
10.66
12.49
2.07
2.68
2.02
5.45
P<.01
Table1 shows that boys perceived family environment significantly better than girls, except on the dimensions of
ORG.
Mental Health of Students At Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development
For understanding the mental health of students atformal operational stage of cognitive development the mean
total score of overall MHB was calculated and it has been presented in Table-2.
Table 2: Mean Scores of Students of Formal Operational Stage on Various Dimensions of MHB
S. No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Total
Dimensions
Emotional Stability (ES)
Over all Adjustment (OA)
Autonomy (AY)
Security-Insecurity (SI)
Self-Concept (SC)
Intelligence (IG )
Mental Health
Desired Mean Scores
10.71
28.55
10.71
10.71
10.71
21.41
92.8
Actual Mean Score
9.47
30.63
10.78
9.64
10.88
21.99
92.78
Inference
Low
Above Average
Average
Low
Average
Average
Average
The results of Table 2 depict that the students of formal operational stage have an average mental health in total.
Therefore the researcher can safely conclude that the students of formal operational stage have average mental health for
the three dimensions viz. AY, SCand IG whereas above average in OA but low in ES and SI.
Comparison of Mental Health of Students at Formal Operational Stage at Cognitive Stage on the Basis Of Gender
The mean and standard deviation of mental health scores were calculated on the basis of gender. To compare the
male and female students of Formal operational stage on six dimensions t-test was applied which is present in Table-3.
From the table it is evident that in all of the six dimensions i.e. ES, OA, AY, SI, SC andIG boys were found to have better
mental health. Thus, it can be said that gender act as one of the significant variable of differentiation on MHB
Table 3: Comparison of Different Dimensions of Mental Health Battery on Gender
Dimensions
Emotional Stability (ES)
Over all Adjustment (OA)
Autonomy (AY)
Security-Insecurity (SI)
Self-Concept (SC)
Intelligence(IG)
Gender
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
N
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Mean
9.85
9.09
31.65
29.6
11.19
9.16
9.94
9.35
11.5
10.26
23
20.97
SD
1.06
0.96
1.66
0.92
0.84
0.95
0.66
0.99
0.92
0.87
1.19
1.95
T-Value
Remarks
5.31
P<.01
10.8
P<.01
16.09
P<.01
4.96
P<.01
9.79
P<.01
8.89
P<.01
Another way of analysis given by MHB is overall MHB score. The mean of overall MHB was calculated for male
and female students of formal operational stage and it was found that there was significant difference in the mean scores of
male and female students of formal operational stage as reflected in Table 4
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Table 4: Comparison on Overall Mental Health Based on Gender
Variable
Mental Health
Gender
Boys
Girls
N
100
100
Mean
97.13
88.43
SD
2.54
2.584
T- Value
Remarks
22.83
P<.01
Influence of School Environment on Mental Health
For studying the influence of school environment on mental health, regression analysis was carried out where all
the eight dimensions of family environment i.e. cohesion (COH), expressiveness (EXP), Conflict (COF), acceptance&
caring (ACC), independence (IND), active recreational orientation (ARO), organization (ORG) and control (CON) were
acting as predictive variables or independent variables and mental health was dependent variable as given in Table 5 and 6.
Table 5: Mean and SD Scores Obtained by Students of Formal Operational
Stage in Mental Health Battery and Family Environment Scale
Variables
Mental Health
Cohesion(COH)
Expression (EXP)
Conflict (COF)
Acceptance& Caring (ACC)
Active- Recreational Orientation (ARO)
Independence (IND)
Organization (ORG)
Control (CON)
Mean
92.78
50.75
34.10
47.05
52.54
33.25
37.79
8.60
11.58
SD
5.12
4.75
6.46
4.71
4.29
5.28
1.80
2.21
2.54
N
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
Table 5 depicts the mean and Standard Deviation of Mental Health and different dimensions of family
environment viz. COH, EXP, COF,ACC, ARO, IND, ORG and CON.
Table 6: Pearson Coefficient Mental Health and Dimensions of School Environment
Model
R
R Square
1
.614a
.377
Adjusted R
Square
.351
Std. Error of the Estimate
4.129
a. Predictors: (Constant), CON, ORG, ACC, ARO, COF, IND, EXP, COH
Table 6 shows the multiple linear regression model summary and overall fit statistics. We find that adjusted R2 of
our model is 0.351 with the R2= 0.377. This means that the linear regression model with the independent variables i.e.
cohesion (COH), expressiveness (EXP), Conflict (COF), acceptance & caring (ACC), independence (IND), active
recreational orientation (ARO), organization (ORG) and control (CON) is 37.7% of variance of the mental health.
Table 7: Regression Analysis of Various Dimensions of Family Environment
Model
(Constant)
Unstandardized
Coefficients
B
Std. Error
59.34
7.13
Standardized
Coefficients
T
Sig.
Beta
8.32
.000
95% Confidence Interval
For B
Lower
Bound
45.27
Upper Bound
73.4
COH
.196
.067
.182
2.923
.004
.064
.329
1 EXP
-.014
.049
-.018
-.292
.771
-.110
.082
COF
-.111
.064
-.102
-1.746
.082
-.237
.014
ACC
.119
.070
.100
1.717
.088
-.018
.256
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965
NAAS Rating: 3.63
Influence of Family Environment on Mental Health of Students at
Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development
ARO
.763
.122
IND
.112
ORG
-.103
CON
-.499
21
.375
6.263
.000
.523
1.003
.057
.115
1.946
.053
-.001
.225
.135
-.044
-.763
.446
-.368
.163
.120
.247
-4.133
.000
-.735
-.262
Since we have multiple independent variables in the analysis the Beta weights compare the relative importance of
each independent variable in standardized terms. It is revealed from the table 7 that variable COH, ACC, ARO and IND of
family environment have positive relationship whereas variable EXP, ORG AND CON have negative relationship with
mental health of student and also account for the mental health of students. Out of it these four variables ARO have B
weights of .375highest among three, which means it has relative higher importance in explaining the mental health of
students in comparison to other three. Thereafter, it is COH, ACC and IND with B weights .182, .100 and .115which
explains their relative importance in explaining the mental health of students. We find that active recreational orientation,
cohesion, acceptance& caring and independence positively influence the mental health whereas expressiveness,
organization and control affects the mental health of students of formal operational stage in negative direction.
Thus, we can conclude that the dimensions of family environment affect the mental health of students of formal
operational stage among the eight dimensions.
CONCLUSIONS
Home is a cozy nest for any individual where he/she finds the most comfortable zone with the family members.
Each family is unique in its setting and all the family members influence each other’s mental health in one way or the
other. Adolescence is the most eventful for mental, emotional and psychological well- being of adolescents as, at this stage
they stand at the threshold of adulthood. At this stage, Adolescents move towards becoming independent physically,
emotionally and cognitively, and still growing but they require stability in a home environment, and a secure emotional
base from which may help in future to explore and experience the world. A sound family environment provides them with
somewhere to come back to for reassurance, support and unconditional love in tough times. A young person benefits from
expectations of respect, consideration and reciprocity in family relationships.Research has indicated that children whose
parents were warm and firm demonstrated higher levels of social competence and maturity than children who had been
raised by permissive, authoritarian, neglectful, or indifferent parents (Baumrind, 1991). A trusting relationship between
adolescents and their parents encourages these young people to disclose hidden aspects of their health problems to their
parents and avoid engaging in risky behaviour as a result of the influence of peers who are less well informed and have less
experience of life (Eshbaugh E. M., 2008).It seems that a friendly and reliable relationship with their family encourages
adolescents to consult with their parents, rather than with inexperienced peers, about their private problems, and thus
reduces the likelihood that they will make unwise decisions.
This study was aimed to explore the influence of family environment on the mental health of students at formal
operational stage of cognitive development. The analysis revealed that active recreational orientation (ARO), cohesion
(COH), acceptance& caring (ACC) and independence (IND) positively influence the mental health whereas expressiveness
(EXP), organization (ORG)and control (CON) affects the mental health of students of formal operational stage in negative
direction.
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Taruna Malhotra
The results of the present study are in cohesion with the study that authoritative parents cause mental health
problems (Hudson and Rapee, 2008, p. 218) and a positive family environment like emotional support increased selfconfidence, a feeling of life satisfaction and the ability to cope with stress, as well as decreasing the incidence of
depression in adolescents promote good mental health (Milevsky A, et al, 2007; Oliva , Jimenez & Parra, 2009).
As family environment, the study shows, is fundamental in serving the seed bed of the development of mental
development. Overall, providing emotional support, cohesive environment, accepting a child with proper care, involving in
active recreational social system and independence with certain amount is much more likely to promote internal self
control and mental health. Excessive expressiveness and any kind of excessive control on the child fail to introduce any
effective results and hampers the development of mental health. A good mental health involves a number of internal
processes that are best developed through warm and caring parents with clear and consistent expectations, emphasis on the
reinforcement of positive behavior. It is also suggested thatfuture research studies be conducted considering family’s
locality, supervision style, self-efficacy and ethos with mutual values and norms to study the relationship of family
environment and mental health of students at formal operational stage of cognitive development.
REFERENCES
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