Family functioning and information and communication technologies: How do they relate? A literature review

Abstract

The advances and incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in everyday family life has earned a place of prominence in the research field. This paper provides a research synthesis of the literature published between 1998 and 2013 examining the relationship of ICTs and family functioning. Searching through databases, 42 papers were located and analyzed which enabled the conceptualization of this relationship in five domains: 1) Attitudes toward ICTs, 2) Types of ICTs and using patterns, 3) Family cohesion, 4) Family roles, rules and intergenerational conflicts, and 5) Family boundaries. Results show that ICTs have implied profound and qualitative changes in family functioning, creating new interaction scenarios and rearranging current family relational patterns. Some gaps in the literature are pointed out, such as the difference operationalization of variables and the use of non-standard instruments in the studies. Suggestions are made for clinical interventions and future research in this domain.