Investigating the relationship between family communication orientation and mental health: the mediating role of identity styles

This research aimed to investigate the social and individual antecedents of mental health in the causal model. The research method was correlational and path analysis. The research participants were 295 female and male students of Shiraz University who were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. The tools used in the research were Fitzpatrick and Ritchie's Family Communication Orientation Questionnaire (1994), Berzonsky's Identity Styles Scale (1997), and Goldberg's Mental Health Scale (1972). The factor analysis was used to check the validity of the scales, and Cronbach's alpha was used to measure their reliability. The results indicated the acceptable validity and reliability of the instruments. To check the research model, path analysis was used using Amos software. The findings showed that communication orientation has a positive and significant relationship with informational identity style, normative identity, identity commitment, and mental health through informational identity, normative identity, and identity commitment and an indirect relationship with mental health. Also, conformity orientation has a direct and significant relationship with avoidant identity style, identity commitment, and mental health, and normative identity and identity commitment have an indirect relationship with mental health.

In general, it can be concluded that family communication orientations and identity styles are two main factors for examining mental health.