Problem. This study was concerned with the family concept of Seventh-day Adventist parents in Costa Rica. It was expected that an understanding of such concept would provide useful clues for the development of family life education programs sponsored by the Church.

The purpose was to obtain a description of the family concept of Seventh-day Adventist parents in Costa Rica, by determining: (1) their Real Family Concept, its relationships to several selected variable, and its content dimensions; (2) their Ideal Family Concept, its relationships to several selected variable, and its content dimensions.

Method. One hundred and forty-seven subjects participated in the study. A demographic information sheet and a modified version of van der Veen's Family Unit Inventory (Real and Ideal Family forms), both in English and Spanish, were the instruments used.

Two major statistical methods were used: multiple regression analysis, and factor analysis. The multiple regression program permitted an examination of the relations held separately by the Real Family Concept scores and the Ideal Family Concept scores with each independent variable. Using factor analysis with Varimax rotations, a separate description was obtained of the content dimensions of both the Real and the Ideal Family Concepts.

Findings. Correlations between the Real Family Concept and each independent variable were significant in nine cases. In decreasing order of correlation these variable were: Ideal Family Concept, number of children, education, marital status, religion of spouse, type of locality, province, race, and church attendance. The multiple correlation coefficient between the Real Family Concept and a linear combination of the independent variables was .59. The coefficient of determination was .35.

The factor analysis furnished a meaningful description of the Real family Concept in terms of the nine following factors: Family Cohesiveness, Family Esteem, Family Serenity, Social Capability, Responsible Sociability, Mutual Sensitivity, Social Independence, Internal Locus of Control, and Structured Affectionate Togetherness.

Correlations between the Ideal Family Concept and the other variables were significant in four cases: Real Family Concept, education, type of locality, and race. The multiple correlation coefficient was .53. This yielded a coefficient of determination of .28.

The factor analysis provided a description of the Ideal Family Concept in terms of nine dimensions: Family Competence, Family Security, Family Compatibility, Unconcern for Reputation, Creative Companionship, Emotional Stability, Venturesome Enjoyment, Communication, and Internal Locus of Control.

Conclusions. The Ideal Family Concept, number of children,education, marital status, religion of spouse, type of locality, province, race, and church attendance were significantly related with the Real Family Concept.

In relation to the Ideal Family Concept, the Real Family Concept, education, type of locality, and race were significant.

Both the Real and the Ideal Family Concepts of Seventh-day Adventist parents in Costa Rica can be described in terms of meaningful content dimensions independently of each other and of previous descriptions provided by other investigators.

A series of recommendations for the development of family life education programs in Costa Rica resulted from the findings of this study.