Background. Family is a major source of support that can affect on health. One of the health conditions can be seen from child obesity status in the family, foremost when child status as a freshman in college foremost. Family can be a risk and protective factor against students with obesity. Students life with various academic demands and increased the stress can change student’s lifestyle, for example the dietary habit. Family as role model and decision maker for the selection of food types, as well as interaction in the family can affect on child obesity condition. Interaction between family and child can be seen in family functioning that exist in a family. Beside that, new academical and environmental burdens can encourage students to experience stress, lead to consume the foods as the best coping excessively and weight gain for students with obesity. The condition of students with obesity can decrease their own self esteem. For students, self esteem is important on health conditions and academic performance. However, stress condition can lower self esteem among students with obesity. In this case, family is expected to be a protective factor in the condition of decreasing self esteem among students with obesity. Family can provide acceptance, warmth, communication, affective expression, proximity, independence and control for students with obesity through family functioning in family. From this, the question arises for researchers relating to the correlation between family functioning and self esteem among students with obesity.

Methods. This study is a quantitative research that examine the correlation between family functioning and self esteem among students with obesity. The instruments are Family Assessment Device (FAD)  that used to measure family functioning and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) that used to measure self esteem, and some open questions related to participants’ health condition. There were 108 students with obesity at Universitas Indonesia who became participants in this study. Participants are in 17-19 years old or in the late adolescent development stage, and are undergoing education in the first year. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive technique, Pearson Correlation, and Multiple Regression.

Result. In this study, we examine the correlation between family functioning aand self esteem among students with obesity. The results indicate that family functioning has significant correlation with self esteem among students with obesity in problem solving dimension (r = 0,376, P <0,01), communication (r = 0,346, P <0,01), roles = 0.240, P <0.05), affective responsiveness (r = 0.239, P <0.05), and affective involvement (r = 0.252, P <0.01). Then, based on the sub-scale of general functioning (r = 0,413, p <0,01) found a significant correlation with self esteem in student with obesity. In addition, this study found that problem solving dimension (β=0.347, p<0.01) has a greatest contribution to self esteem in students with obesity.

Conclusion. In conclusion, family functioning has significant correlation with self esteem in the dimensions such as problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, and affective involvement among students with obesity. In addition, problem solving dimension has a greatest contribution to self esteem among students with obesity.

Added Values. The results of this study provide the information about family functioning to family in solving the problem related to self esteem among students with obesity in Indonesia. Then, it can be used as basis of intervention for handling the problem of obesity in family empowerment.

Contribution to the Society. The acceptance to the condition of obese people is important to the society. When society understand that the importance of self esteem for individuals with obesity, it will form the acceptance to them. It can be created a socialization to the society about the importance of family functioning on mental health condition among individuals with obesity.

Keyword: family functioning, self esteem, obesity

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