Perceptions of family differentiation, individuation, and self-esteem among Korean adolescents

The relationships between family differentiation and adolescent individuation and between adolescent individuation and self-esteem were tested with 170 adolescents in Korea. To measure family differentiation, three dyadic interaction patterns were examined (i.e., parents' marital, father-adolescent, and mother-adolescent). Results revealed significant relationships between adolescent individuation and differentiation in adolescent and same-sex parent pairs. For male adolescents, father-adolescent differentiation was the strongest predictor of individuation, and for female adolescents, mother-adolescent differentiation was most strongly related to individuation. Also, for both male and female adolescents, individuation was negatively associated with self-esteem, a finding that is not consistent with research in the U.S.