Study of the Effect of Family Communication Patterns on Happiness in a Group of High School Students in Shiraz

Happiness is one of the most basic concepts in positive psychology. The goal of the present study was to examine the effect of family communication patterns, including consensual, pluralistic, protective and laissez-faire, on happiness. This was a cross-sectional study. Participants were 200 high school students (100 females, 100 males) in the city of Shiraz who were selected through clustered-multistage-randomized method. The revised version of Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was used to evaluate happiness and the revised version of Family Communication Patterns Questionnaire was used to assess relationship patterns. Cronbach alpha coefficient and factor analysis were used to determine the reliability and validity of the questionnaires respectively. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. Data showed a significant difference regarding the level of happiness among communication patterns (p<0.001). Scheffe’s test showed that the happiness score was higher in consensual and pluralistic patterns and lower in protective and laissez-faire patterns (p<0.05). Also, in consensual and pluralistic patterns the level of happiness was higher in males than in females. The conversation aspect of the family, in comparison with conformity, especially in boys, is the main factor determining familial relationships, which leads to a higher level of happiness.