Family Communication as a Mediator between Family Resilience and Family Functioning under the Quarantine and COVID-19 Pandemic in Arabic Countries

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has become an unprecedented world crisis in which we have struggled against the most potent threat of the twenty-first century. This pandemic has had a profound impact on individuals and families. Therefore, the study aimed to examine family communication as a mediator of the relationship between family resilience and family functioning under the quarantine and coronavirus pandemic in Algeria and Iraq. This study was conducted among individuals in Iraq and Algeria (N = 361). The respondents completed the Family Communication Scale (FCS), Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire (WFRQ), and Family Functioning Scale (FFS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) with the bootstrapping method was used to conduct the mediated effects of family communication. Using the bootstrapping method in SEM, family resilience and communication significantly affected family functioning (coefficient = 0.808). Moreover, the direct effect and indirect effect (via family functioning) of family resilience on family functioning were both significant, with coefficients of 0.682 and 0.126. In addition, numerous groups from Iraq and Algeria have been analyzed as a sample and have shown no differences in the relationships between family resilience, family communication, and family functioning. In conclusion, the results showed that family communication mediated the relationship between family resilience and family functioning. Moreover, the type of this mediation seemed to be partial because of the significant direct relationship between family resilience and family functioning. According to the findings, healthcare providers should consider improving family resilience and communication to achieve good family functioning.

The relationship between family functioning and social media addiction among university students: a moderated mediation model of depressive symptoms and peer support

“…According to the McMaster Family Functioning Model Theory, family functioning refers to providing an appropriate environment and promoting the growth and development of family members, including physical, psychological, social, and other domains [ 17 ]. Previous studies have suggested that good family functioning involving adaptation, interaction, cohesion, closeness, response, and problem-solving [ 18 ] between family members is essential for lowering the likelihood of psychological distress [ 19 ] and problematic behavior [ 20 ]. For example, a longitudinal study involving 3 waves of follow-up in Hong Kong among 3325 junior high school students revealed that good family functioning was related to less SMA [ 21 ].…”