FAMILY ROLES AND HAPPINESS IN ADULTHOOD

This study examined four important family roles: ''spousal role'', ''p arental role'', ''filial role'', ''worker role'' and their relationshi ps with subjective well-being (SWB), across four family developmental stages. Four sets of variables were measured: (a) personal information , including demographics as well as traditional values, extraversion, neuroticism and social desirability; (b) role experiences on facets of ''importance'', ''rewards'', ''stress'' and ''satisfaction''; (c) soc ial support; (d) happiness and mental health. Using a purposive sampli ng strategy, 450 community adults in Taiwan were surveyed. Personality traits, traditional values, SES indicators, as well as role experienc es all correlated with happiness. Multiple regression analyses showed that different factors predicted happiness along the four family devel opmental stages. The ''spousal role'' was the most salient for the new ly-weds; the ''worker role'' was important to parents with young child ren to rear; the ''worker role'' as well as the ''filial role'' were i mportant to parents with adolescent children; and finally, the ''worke r role'' again became salient after children had all grown-up. Predict ors of happiness for the two genders were also distinct. These results were discussed in the contexts of the traditional Chinese cultural he ritage, as well as the changing social climates of the modern Taiwan. A tentative conclusion was that role experiences were important to adu lt happiness, and furthermore, people were flexible in defining and re defining their personal happiness as life goes on. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.