A Community-Based Intervention Program to Enhance Family Communication and Family Well-being: The Learning Families Project in Hong Kong

Abstract

BackgroundFamily communication is important to maintain family relationships and family well-being. To enhance family communication and family well-being, a community-based “Learning Families Project,” based on the social ecological model was developed in Kwun Tong in Hong Kong, a district with high prevalence of family problems.MethodsThis quasi-experimental study included two nearby government subsidized low-rent housing estates separated by busy main roads, as the intervention [Tsui Ping (South) Estate] and control (Shun Tin Estate) estate. The main intervention was resident training programs, such as talks, day camps, and thematic activities. No program was implemented in the control estate. Participants in the intervention group received assessments before the intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and 6 weeks after the intervention (T3). Control group participants were assessed at baseline (March to April 2011) and follow-up (December 2011 to March 2012). Assessments of family communication (time and perceived adequacy) and family well-being (harmony, happiness, and health) at T1 and T3 were obtained in the intervention group to examine within-group changes. In addition, these differences in outcomes in the intervention group were compared with those in the control group to examine the effectiveness of the intervention.ResultsFamily communication time and perceived communication adequacy increased significantly in the intervention group (n = 515) with a small effect size (Cohen effect d: 0.10 and 0.24, respectively). Compared with the control group (n = 476), the improvements in family communication time and perceived communication adequacy (Cohen effect d: 0.13 and 0.14, respectively), and perceived family harmony and happiness (Cohen effect d: 0.12 and 0.12, respectively) were significantly greater in the intervention group, adjusting for age and education, suggesting the intervention was effective in improving family communication and family well-being. Mediation analysis showed that perceived communication adequacy mediated the effects of the intervention on family harmony [β = 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03, 0.18], happiness (β = 0.12, 95% CI 0.04, 0.20), and health (β = 0.10, 95% CI 0.02, 0.17), adjusting for age and education.ConclusionThis community intervention based on the social ecological model improved family well-being through improving family communication, which could be an effective target to promote family well-being in other communities.Trial registrationThis study was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02851667. URL: .

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Family Communication Scale in the Chinese Population

“…Positive family communication also facilitates a balanced level of family flexibility to change family rules and cohesion of emotional bonding (Olson, 2000). These benefits on families were shown in our previous interventions indicating improved family wellbeing through enhancing family communication (Ho et al, 2017(Ho et al, , 2018Shen et al, 2017a).…”

Test–retest reliability and validity of a single-item Self-reported Family Happiness Scale in Hong Kong Chinese: findings from Hong Kong Jockey Club FAMILY Project

“…Chinese people are generally reluctant to provide the most extreme scores or answers such as very happy or very unhappy, which may lead to difficulties in detecting small intervention effects based on scales with a narrow score range [42]. Change in this measure following our community-based family intervention programs showed the responsiveness of the SFHS-1 [19][20][21]. As we have also shown the test-retest reliability and construct validity in the context of repeated measurements, this simple scale should be highly practical for future communitybased family intervention programs.…”

“…Family happiness can be enhanced by spending time with family members and building connection with friends and relatives [14]. Our previous community-based family intervention programs to promote positive family communication have shown remarkable effectiveness on improving family happiness [19][20][21], indicating the responsiveness of the SFHS-1, which is the ability of a measurement to detect change over time attributable to the intervention [22]. These programs were developed with cooking, dining and learning as the platforms to facilitate positive communication and interaction among family members.…”

Identifikasi Keterkaitan Komunikasi Dalam Keluarga Dan Keharmonisan Keluarga Pada Remaja Sekolah Menengah Atas

“…Komunikasi dalam keluarga penting untuk mempertahankan hubungan dalam keluarga dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan keluarga yang termasuk keharmonisan, kebahagiaan, dan kesehatan keluarga (Shen et al, 2017). Keharmonisan dalam keluarga akan dapat dipertahankan apabila fungsi -fungsi keluarga diterapkan dengan baik.…”