ABSTRACT
In suggesting that crowding has deleterious effects on social relations, crowding theory would lead people to expect that some of its most severe and adverse consequences would bear on the husband-wife relationship and the relations parents have with their children. In urban and industrialized Bangkok, nuclear famines predominate. But one of the major factors contributing to household crowding is the de facto formation of extended families. This chapter examines some of the marital and family outcomes that crowding might have, following a brief overview of some pertinent findings from previously conducted studies. Selective support for the hypothesis that crowding adversely affects family relations has been reported in several studies. Crowding was associated with increased reports concerning the nervousness of children and declines in the children's school performance. The chapter looks at how crowding affects relations between siblings and briefly explores its effect on violence.
