Leaders of Hawai‘i Family Touchstones, a project by the Center of the Family at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, recently released a series of articles that reports new data relating to the well-being of families in Hawai‘i. The series
Leaders of Hawai‘i Family Touchstones, a project by the Center of the Family at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, recently released a series of articles that reports new data relating to the well-being of families in Hawai‘i. The series features a principal article, “Hawai‘i’s Strong Families,” as well as supporting articles, “Portrait of Hawai‘i’s Families” and “Families in Their Communities.” “Hawai‘i’s Strong Families” identifies the characteristics of strong families, and presents survey data that provide a picture of how Hawai‘i’s families are doing on measures of family strength.
“We first reviewed research that identifies habits or characteristics of strong families, such as spending time together, maintaining meal times and eating together as a family, or practicing positive communication and expressing appreciation,” explained Ivette Rodriguez Stern, Hawai‘i Family Touchstones project coordinator.
“Then, we interviewed a representative sample of Hawai‘i’s families to assess whether they practice the behaviors of strong families.” Over three-quarters of the more than 1,000 families surveyed are spending quality time together, regularly eating meals together, and practicing good communication skills — behaviors indicated by the research to be associated with strong families, she said. “It’s not surprising to find the presence of these behaviors and practices in so many of Hawai‘i’s families given the value that our families place on the ‘ohana,” explained Stern.
Reports gathered for “Portrait of Hawai‘i’s Families” show many Hawai‘i families consider having a strong and happy family life and giving to the community to be important goals for their children, and values that should be perpetuated, although many find it a challenge to balance family life with job demands and meeting financial obligations.
Findings reported in “Families in Their Communities” show that Hawai‘i’s families view their communities to be generally safe where they can rely on a neighbor for help and engage in leisure activities, with a higher percentage on the Neighbor Islands.
To download articles or to view other data relating to children and families in Hawai‘i, please visit www.uhfamily .hawaii.edu.
