Spirituality and differentiation of self of parents living in the "City of Sadness"

Abstract

Tin Shui Wai is a new town situated in the remote district of Hong Kong. Tin Shui Wai is dubbed the “City of Sadness” by the media after the occurrence of a number of family tragedies involving child abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, homicide and suicide. According to the Bowen Family Theory, differentiation of self is a very important factor in determining our way of functioning, resilience and ways of dealing with problems. This study is a quantitative research study with a cross-sectional design and a survey approach. It examines the relationship between differentiation of self and spirituality of parents living in Tin Shui Wai. The results of the research suggested that more daily spiritual experience among parents could predict higher level of differentiation of self.