Study of Differentiation of Self and General Health in High School Students

According to the Bowen Family System Theory, the differentiation level is associated with lower anxiety. The aim of this study was to evaluate more broadly the relationship between differentiation and other indicators of public health (anxiety, depression, physical discomforts, and social dysfunction) in Iranian culture. This descriptive-correlation study was conducted on third-grade boy and girl high school students in district 5, Tehran. The study sample consisted of 320 third grade high school students randomly selected from the four geographical corners of this district (160 girls and 160 boys). The subjects completed the 28-item version of the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire and the Differentiation Inventory designed by Skowron. The results were analyzed by SPSS-14 statistical software through Pearson correlation, multivariate regression analysis, and t-test statistical methods. The results of regression analysis in the t-test showed a significant relationship between differentiation level and general health of students at the level of 0.99. People with higher differentiation (emotional reactivity, fusion with others, less emotional cutoff, and clearer I-position) have better general health. The findings confirm the Bowen System Theory.