Despite the existence of a large number of family functioning measures and validation studies of ... more Despite the existence of a large number of family functioning measures and validation studies of such measures, there have to date been little validation of any family functioning instrument using South African data. This paper uses confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multiple-group CFA (MGCFA) and examines the validity and reliability of the Family Attachment and Changeability Index (FACI8) in South Africa. Data originate from the 2012 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS). Results indicate acceptable reliability as well as discriminant validity of FACI8. Furthermore, the CFA results show that FACI8 largely reflects the theoretical FACI8 factor structure. MGCFA reveal the presence of configural and metric invariance across South Africa's racial groups, but no evidence of scalar invariance. The factor structure is similar across racial groups, the latent concept of family functioning is conceptualized similarly across the races, but the latent means differ significantly according to racial group. FACI8 is a valid and reliable measure of family functioning dimensions in South African households.
This paper constructs a Good Society Index for 45 African countries, termed the Good African Soci... more This paper constructs a Good Society Index for 45 African countries, termed the Good African Society Index (GASI). The GASI consists of nine main indexes: (1) economic sustainability, (2) democracy and freedom, (3) child well-being, (4) environment and infrastructure, (5) safety and security, (6) health and health systems, (7) integrity and justice, (8) education, and (9) social sustainability and social cohesion. Each component is split into four sub-components for a total of 36 indicators. Tunisia ranks highest on the GASI, followed by Cape Verde and Botswana. Chad has the lowest GASI score, followed by Central African Republic and Cote d’Ivoire. The GASI is strongly related to the 2012 Human Development Index and Fragile States Index, to a lesser extent, GNI per capita.
Families form an integral part of society and in fostering individual well-being. Despite the ack... more Families form an integral part of society and in fostering individual well-being. Despite the acknowledged importance of family, the association between family functioning and individual well-being outcomes have remained unexplored in the current body of knowledge. This paper explores the association between family functioning and reported levels of life satisfaction and happiness in South Africa. The paper employs the Family Attachment and Changeability Index (FACI8) to measure family functioning, using data from the 2011 South African Social Attitudes Survey. Four measures of family functioning are utilised, namely the aggregate FACI8 scale, the attachment and changeability sub-scales, and family functioning type. Improvements in the level of family functioning as well as in the levels of attachment and changeability are positively associated with life satisfaction and happiness. In addition, individuals living in midrange or balanced family functioning types are more satisfied with life and happier compared to persons living in extremely or moderately dysfunctional families. The findings highlight the importance of supportive intra-family dynamics in fostering greater individual well-being. This in turn places emphasis on the investigation of likely correlates of family functioning and impact evaluations of family-focused social work interventions’ impact on family functioning as areas for future research.
This paper explores various dynamics in the relationship between life satisfaction and education ... more This paper explores various dynamics in the relationship between life satisfaction and education in South Africa using the 2008 National Income Dynamics Survey. The results indicate a strong positive association between educational attainment and individual satisfaction with life, which is true in the overall sample and for men and women. This positive relationship also holds for Black and Coloured individuals, but is insignificant in the Asian and White samples. Evidence indicates that education is a positional good, in that people who have attained more than the mean level of education in their relevant cluster are significantly more satisfied with life compared to those possessing less than the mean education.
o exhibit a strong seasonal variation, with peaks in spring and summer, with December having the ... more o exhibit a strong seasonal variation, with peaks in spring and summer, with December having the highest suicide prevalence. The overall results indicate a negative but insignificant relationship between economic performance and suicide in South Africa, with socio-economic differences and individual characteristics accounting for most of the variation in suicide.
Despite the existence of a large number of family functioning measures and validation studies of ... more Despite the existence of a large number of family functioning measures and validation studies of such measures, there have to date been little validation of any family functioning instrument using South African data. This paper uses confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multiple-group CFA (MGCFA) and examines the validity and reliability of the Family Attachment and Changeability Index (FACI8) in South Africa. Data originate from the 2012 South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS). Results indicate acceptable reliability as well as discriminant validity of FACI8. Furthermore, the CFA results show that FACI8 largely reflects the theoretical FACI8 factor structure. MGCFA reveal the presence of configural and metric invariance across South Africa's racial groups, but no evidence of scalar invariance. The factor structure is similar across racial groups, the latent concept of family functioning is conceptualized similarly across the races, but the latent means differ significantly according to racial group. FACI8 is a valid and reliable measure of family functioning dimensions in South African households.
This paper constructs a Good Society Index for 45 African countries, termed the Good African Soci... more This paper constructs a Good Society Index for 45 African countries, termed the Good African Society Index (GASI). The GASI consists of nine main indexes: (1) economic sustainability, (2) democracy and freedom, (3) child well-being, (4) environment and infrastructure, (5) safety and security, (6) health and health systems, (7) integrity and justice, (8) education, and (9) social sustainability and social cohesion. Each component is split into four sub-components for a total of 36 indicators. Tunisia ranks highest on the GASI, followed by Cape Verde and Botswana. Chad has the lowest GASI score, followed by Central African Republic and Cote d’Ivoire. The GASI is strongly related to the 2012 Human Development Index and Fragile States Index, to a lesser extent, GNI per capita.
Families form an integral part of society and in fostering individual well-being. Despite the ack... more Families form an integral part of society and in fostering individual well-being. Despite the acknowledged importance of family, the association between family functioning and individual well-being outcomes have remained unexplored in the current body of knowledge. This paper explores the association between family functioning and reported levels of life satisfaction and happiness in South Africa. The paper employs the Family Attachment and Changeability Index (FACI8) to measure family functioning, using data from the 2011 South African Social Attitudes Survey. Four measures of family functioning are utilised, namely the aggregate FACI8 scale, the attachment and changeability sub-scales, and family functioning type. Improvements in the level of family functioning as well as in the levels of attachment and changeability are positively associated with life satisfaction and happiness. In addition, individuals living in midrange or balanced family functioning types are more satisfied with life and happier compared to persons living in extremely or moderately dysfunctional families. The findings highlight the importance of supportive intra-family dynamics in fostering greater individual well-being. This in turn places emphasis on the investigation of likely correlates of family functioning and impact evaluations of family-focused social work interventions’ impact on family functioning as areas for future research.
This paper explores various dynamics in the relationship between life satisfaction and education ... more This paper explores various dynamics in the relationship between life satisfaction and education in South Africa using the 2008 National Income Dynamics Survey. The results indicate a strong positive association between educational attainment and individual satisfaction with life, which is true in the overall sample and for men and women. This positive relationship also holds for Black and Coloured individuals, but is insignificant in the Asian and White samples. Evidence indicates that education is a positional good, in that people who have attained more than the mean level of education in their relevant cluster are significantly more satisfied with life compared to those possessing less than the mean education.
o exhibit a strong seasonal variation, with peaks in spring and summer, with December having the ... more o exhibit a strong seasonal variation, with peaks in spring and summer, with December having the highest suicide prevalence. The overall results indicate a negative but insignificant relationship between economic performance and suicide in South Africa, with socio-economic differences and individual characteristics accounting for most of the variation in suicide.
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