Investigating the Relationship between Family Structure and Normative and Functional Values from the Perspective of Married Children in Tehran

Family solidarity, reflecting the bond between parents and children who left their parental home after marriage, was suggested by Bangston and Robert refute the idea of the breakdown of the nuclear family. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of structural variables on two dimensions of solidarity (normative and functional). Using the cluster sampling method, 256 married children who had at least one of their parents alive were selected from three districts in Tehran to conduct the survey. The findings show that there is a moderate degree of normative and functional solidarity in Teheran families. Nevertheless, society is very different from its usual situation where reciprocal support from the family is very high.  Findings indicate that only the variable of having parents has a significant relationship with normative and functional solidarity among the components of the family structure. Boys are significantly less receptive to parental support than girls, but there is no significant difference between boys and girls in terms of supporting parents, normative solidarity, and belief in responsibilities. According to the regression model, the components of the family structure explain 25.4, 11.4, 11.2, and 55.4 percent of the variance of functional solidarity of mothers, fathers, married children, and total normative solidarity respectively. The path analysis model reveals that the indirect effect coefficients of structural variables are very small.