COMPARISON OF THE LEVEL OF DIFFERENTIATION AMONG THREE SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS OF RELATED AND UNRELATED WOMEN (NURSING).
Contributors: New York University.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 101
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Sociology, Individual and Family Studies.
Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between the homogeneity of the level of differentiation in three generations of related women and the homogeneity of the level of differentiation in three generations of unrelated women. The theoretical premise tested was that a multigenerational transmission process, as proposed by Bowen, is operational in family systems.

The sample consisted of 50 triads of related women and 50 triads of unrelated women. Each related triad was composed of a college aged women, her mother and her maternal grandmother. Women in the unrelated triads were matched to women in the related triads according to age and socioeconomic status.

Level of differentiation was measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). After obtaining consent, a Personal Data Form and the GEFT was completed by all subjects. The data resulting from the scoring of the GEFT was subjected to statistical analysis.

It was hypothesized that the level of differentiation in three generations of related women will be more homogeneous than the level of differentiation in three generations of unrelated women. In order to test the hypothesis, the variance was determined for each triad of related and unrelated women. The variance was used as an index of the homogeneity of differentiation scores within each triad. A correlated t-test was performed to determine whether there was a significant difference in the means of the sums of the variances in the related and unrelated triads. The hypothesis was supported (t = $-3.54,$ p $<$.001).

Based on the findings of this investigation for the sample studied it was concluded that the level of differentiation is more homogeneous in three generations of related women than in three generations of unrelated women. Thus, the results of this study empirically support the premise that a multigenerational transmission process is operational in family systems. However, this conclusion is to be viewed with caution, since the findings are based on a volunteer sample and are not generalizable to the general population.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-01, Section: B, page: 0076.

Thesis (PH.D.)--NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 1987.

School code: 0146.