REVIEW
Public Health Rev
Volume 46 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/phrs.2025.1607381
Positive and negative family relationships correlate with mental health conditions -a systematic review and meta-analysis Authors
- 1University of Applied Sciences Emden Leer, Emden, Germany
- 2Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, Darlington, United Kingdom
- 3Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- 4School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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We aim to investigate the association between family relationships and mental health conditions in adults aged 18+. We conducted a systematic review on associations of family relationships and mental health conditions by searching in databases MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), and PTSDPubs. We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficients and I2 statistics using a random-effects model. Results: Of the 3,707 records screened, 40 with n=35,634 participants met the inclusion criteria (38.5% male, 59.5% female, mean age 39.57), were conducted mostly in North America (n=27). Positive family relationships were investigated in 33 studies, negative relationships in 12 studies. Positive family relationships were not statistically significantly associated with depression (r=-0.071 [-0.256, 0.119], p=0.463, anxiety r=0.026 [-0.032, 0.084], p=0.375) or alcohol abuse (r=0.035 [-0.103, 0.0034], p=0.326). Positive family relationships were statistically significantly associated with illicit drug use (r=0.061 [0.025, 0.096], p=0.001). Negative family relationships were significantly associated with anxiety (r=0.075 [0.019, 0.130], p=0.009), and with depression (r=0.111 [0.033, 0.188], p=0.005). Conclusion: Interventions reducing negative family relationships can potentially strengthen positive mental health.
Keywords: Family Relationships, depression, Anxiety, Substance use, systematic review
Received: 05 Jun 2024; Accepted: 30 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lindert, Arndt, Cook, Bain and Kawachi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jutta Lindert, University of Applied Sciences Emden Leer, Emden, Germany
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