Family Cohesion Index in Qatar

Abstract

This project aims to understand the concept of family cohesion, and attempts to measure 'family cohesion' in Qatar. A questionnaire was adapted from several validated scales, testing many aspects related to this greater theme of family cohesion, such as parental and marital relationships, shared morals, work-family balance, family interaction, care and support, family conflict mechanisms, and levels of satisfaction. With the use of a statistical program (STATA), a descriptive bivariate analysis was conducted. Moreover, an inferential analysis was obtained to analyze the data by fitting a logistic regression model to test the hypothesis. The findings show that improved family support, the presence of shared morals, and greater family satisfaction led to increased family cohesion, and these relationships were statistically significant. In contrast, greater parental relationships with children were associated with lower family cohesion, possibly due to increased parental control, which creates challenges within the family. This study provides great insights pertaining to factors affecting family cohesion. Further research is required to unravel the family dynamics specific to Qatar.