Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Elmore-Staton, Lori

Committee Member

Phillips, Tommy

Committee Member

Burke, Benjamin

Committee Member

Hardman, Alisha

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Human Development & Family Science

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

School of Human Sciences

Abstract

This dissertation research is a combination of two studies. The overarching and guiding focus for this study involved how family functioning and environments influence adolescent psychological well-being, and do these associations vary based on levels of family complexity. Study 1 examined family complexity and family environments as potential predictors of family functioning, while Study 2 examined family functioning and family complexity as potential predictors of adolescent negative (i.e., anxiety and depression) and positive (i.e., engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness) well-being. In Study 1, family complexity was not predictive of family functioning, but the family environment was a strong predictor. In Study 2, the use of paired parent–adolescent data enabled a nuanced examination of family systems from multiple perspectives within the same family unit. Both the positive and negative aspects of well-being measured in this study were predicted to some degree by combined family functioning.

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