ABSTRACT
Background@#The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of family mealtime and family structure on family functioning and early adolescents’ depression. @*Methods@#A survey was conducted with a sample of 275 middle school students in the Gangdong-gu district, Seoul. APGAR scores and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) scale were used to measure family functioning and depression level, respectively, along with six more questions to collect data on family structure, family mealtimes, and adolescents’ reasons for avoiding family meals. Statistical analyses including t-test, one-way ANOVA and twoway ANOVA were employed to examine the influence of family mealtime, family structure and sex on family functioning and depression levels. @*Results@#The analyses revealed that family structure and environmental factors, such as parental presence and educational attainment did not influence family functioning or adolescent depression, while variables related to family mealtime influenced both depression level and family functioning. Results also showed that females were more vulnerable to depression. @*Conclusion@#It was concluded that having family time during meals improves family functioning and helps decrease depression levels of adolescent family members. Therefore, parents should take care that they have regular family mealtimes with children, especially female children, during their adolescence.