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Chapter 18 Theoretical Bases for Promoting Family Health. Definitions of Family. Vary by organization, discipline, and individual Most theorists agree that definition of a family includes: Two or more individuals who share a residence or live near one another
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Definitions of Family • Vary by organization, discipline, and individual • Most theorists agree that definition of a family includes: • Two or more individuals who share a residence or live near one another • Possess some common emotional bond • Engage in interrelated social positions, roles, and tasks • Share a sense of affection and belonging
Universal Characteristics of Families • Every family is a small social system. • Every family has its own cultural values and rules. • Every family has structure. • Every family has certain basic functions. • Every family moves through stages in its life cycle.
Attributes of Families as Social Systems • Families are interdependent. • Families maintain boundaries. • Families exchange energy with their environments. • Families are adaptive. • Families are goal-oriented.
Question Is the following statement true or false? • The definition of a family is universal.
Answer • False • The family is defined in many different ways depending on the organization, discipline, or individual.
Family Culture • Definition: The acquired knowledge that family members use to interpret their experiences and to generate behaviors that influence family structure and function • Family members share certain values that affect family behavior. • Certain roles are prescribed and defined for family members. • A family’s culture determines its distribution and use of power.
Family Structures • Dramatic changes in structure • Decrease in number of marriages • Increase in non-married couples living together • Divorce rates • Increase in births outside marriage • Husband, wife, and children living together • Two general categories (see Table 18.1) • Traditional • Contemporary
Nuclear family Nuclear-dyad family Single-adult family Multigenerational families Kin-network Augmented family Blended family Single-parent Commuter Traditional Family Structures
Unmarried single-parent family Cohabitating partners Commune family Group marriage Group network Homeless family Foster families Gangs Contemporary Family Structures
Question Which of the following would a community health nurse identify as a traditional family structure? • Commune family • Foster family • Commuter family • Homeless family
Answer c. Commuter family • A commuter family is an example of a traditional family structure. Commune, foster, and homeless families are examples of nontraditional or contemporary family structures.
Family Functions • Providing affection • Providing security and acceptance • Instilling identity and satisfaction • Promoting affiliation and companionship • Providing socialization • Establishing controls
Family Developmental Tasks • Life cycle progression depends on developmental tasks; ongoing throughout life cycle • Establishing a mutually satisfying relationship • Adjusting to pregnancy and parenthood • Fitting into kin network • Adapting to critical needs of children at all stages • Fitting into the community • Balancing freedom with responsibility • Releasing young adults into work • Adjusting to retirement (see Table 18.2)
Family Life Cycle • Two broad stages • Expansion • Adding new members • Increase in relationships • Contraction • Members leave • Starting own lives or dying • More specific phases within each stage (e.g., launching of children, retirement of parents)
Emerging Family Patterns • Adolescent unmarried parents • Gay and lesbian families • Divorced and blended families • Older adults
Question Is the following statement true or false? • Developmental tasks of the family are important but not crucial to the family’s progression through the life cycle.
Answer • False • Progression through the life cycle depends on the achievement of developmental tasks, which are ongoing throughout the life cycle.
Internet Resources • Family Health International: http://www.fhi.org/en/index.htm • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Family Health): http://www.cdc.gov/Family/ • National Institutes of Health – Adventures in Parenting: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/adv_in_parenting/index.cfm • National Alliance to End Homelessness: http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/policy/focusareas/families