Theme 2.
Family
concept. The family in
contemporary life:
structure, function,
family development,
family roles, duties of
parents towards their
children. Factors that
influence family
functioning, and
health.
When we talk about family,
what comes to your mind?
Wooclap
What is a
family?
• Biology: Fulfilling the
biologic function of
perpetuation of the species.
• Psychology: Interpersonal
relations, personality
development.
• Economics: Family as a
productive unit.
• Sociology: A social unit
interacting with the larger
society, creating the context
within which cultural values
and identity are formed.
A holistic definition
about family
• An institution where individuals,
related through biology or
enduring commitments, and
representing similar or different
generations and genders,
participate in roles involving
mutual socialization, nurturance,
and emotional commitment.
Types of families
Family structure
• Family structures
• Traditional family
• Consists of the married heterosexual
couple and their biologic children.
• Intact family
• Nuclear family
• The nuclear family is composed of two
parents and their children. Biologic, step,
adoptive or foster
• Blended family/hybrid
family/reconstituted family
• Includes at least one stepparent,
stepsibling or half-sibling.
Family structure
• Family structures
• Extended family
• Includes at least one parent, one
or more children and one or more
members (related or unrelated)
other than a parent or sibling.
• Monoparental family/single-
parent family
Family structure
and function
• Family structures
• Binuclear family
• The parenting role
continues while
terminating the spousal
unit.
• Joint custody
• Other nontraditional
families
• Polygamous family (Rubel
& Burleigh, 2020)
Family
functioning
• What is family functioning
• Interactions of family members, especially the
quality of those interactions and relationships
• Qualities of strong families
• Commitment for family growth and unity
• Appreciation for the things all family members do
well
• Concentrated effort to spend time and do things
together
• A clear set of family values, rules and beliefs that
establishes expectations about acceptable and
desired behavior.
• Flexibility and adaptability in the roles necessary
to procure resources to meet needs
What roles do you fulfil in your family?
Family roles and
relationships
• Each individual has a position or status in
the family structure.
• Each family has its own tradition and values
and sets its own standards for interaction
within and outside the group.
• Conflicts arise when people do not fulfill
their roles that meet other family members
expectations.
Family theories
• Family systems theory
• Family stress theory
• Family developmental theory
Family theories. Family
systems theory
• Author: Murray Bowen
• Ecological system
• Science of “wholeness”
• In a family of 3 ➔ 4 interactive units
• Importance of boundaries between
family members
• Boundaries affecting family adaptability.
• Questions to ask:
• Who is doing what to whom?
• Where?
• When?
• Why is it a problem?
Family theories. Family systems theory
Family theories.
Family stress theory
• Family reacting to stressful events
• Unpredictable stressors
• Unemployment
• Predictable stressors
• Parenthood
• Adaptation by changing structure
or family functioning.
• When can we use it
• Acute or chronic childhood illness
• Death of a child
• Divorce
• Teenage pregnancy and parenthood
Coping
• Developmental theory
• Families develop and change over time in similar and consistent ways
• Family role performance at one stage of life cycle influences family’s behavioral options at next stage
• This theory helps anticipating potential stressors
Family • The application of this theory, becomes problematic in non-traditional families
• When can we use it
theories • Anticipatory guidance
• Educational strategies
• Developing family resources for management of transition
Which are the different stages of a family?
Family theories
• Stage I Marriage and an independent home: The
joining of families
• Reestablish couple identity
• Realign relationships with extended family
• Make decisions regarding parenthood
• Stage II Families with infants
• Integrate infants into the family unit
• Accommodate to new parenting and
grandparenting roles
• Maintain marital bond
• Stage III Families with preschoolers
• Socialize children
• Parents and children adjust to separation
Family theories
• Stage IV Families with School children
• Children develop peer relations
• Parents adjust to their children’s peer
and school influences
• Stage V Families with teenagers
• Adolescents develop increasing
autonomy
• Parents refocus on midlife marital and
career issues
• Parents begin a shift toward concern
for the older generations
Family theories
• Stage VI Families as launching centers
• Parents and young adults establish
independent identities
• Parents renegotiate marital relationship
• Stage VII Middle aged families
• Reinvest in couple identity with concurrent
development of independent interests
• Realign relationships to include in laws and
grandchildren
• Deal with disabilities and death of older
generation
• Stage VIII Aging families
• Shift from work role to leisure and
semiretirement or full retirement
• Maintain couple and individual functionating
while adapting to the aging process
• Prepare for own death and dealing with the
loss of spouse and or siblings and other
peers
Family theories
• Implications for nurses
• Parents have a desire to
participate in their child
care
• Each problem requires a
different approach, there is
no “one size fits all”
Parenting
styles
Parenting styles. Authoritarian parents
• Try to control their children’s behavior and attitudes
through unquestioned mandates.
• They establish rules and regulations or standards of
conduct that they expect to be followed rigidly and
unquestioningly.
• Punishment doesn’t have to be physical.
• If it is accompanied with affection and close supervision,
they will be courteous, loyal, honest and dependable but
docile
• What will happen when they don’t have any supervision?
Should parents be
their child’s
friend?
Parenting styles. Permissive parents
• They exert little or no control over their children
• They avoid imposing their own standards of conduct and allow
• Parents as resources for the child
• They employ lax and inconsistent discipline.
• These parents rarely punish the children.
• Worse academic achivement
Parenting styles
• Authoritative parenting
• Combines practices from authority parenting and permissive
parenting
• Reasoning
• Control is focused on the issue, not on withdrawal of love or
the fear of punishment.
• Parental control is firm and consistent but tempered with
encouragement, understanding, and security.
• This parents help develop a conscience that regulates behavior
based on feelings of guilt or shame for wrongdoing, not fear of
being caught or punished.
Parenting styles
• Uninvolved/neglectful parenting
• Lack of responsiveness to a child needs
• Parents are overwhelmed by their own
problems
• No supervision
• Low expectations
• Low school involvement of parents
• Children may
• Be emotionally withdrawn
• Attachment issues
• Have increased risk of substance abuse
• Exhibit more delinquency during
adolescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csVO9NCVutk
Parenting: Limit
setting and
discipline
• What is discipline?
• Discipline helps children
• Test their limits of control
• Achieve in areas appropriate for
mastery at their level
• Channel undesirable feelings into
constructive activity
• Protect themselves from danger
• Learn socially acceptable behavior
• Why do children misbehave?
• They want more attention, power,
defiance, display inadequacy
• The rules are not clear or
consistently applied
• It may also be caused by frustration,
anger, depression or pain.
Parenting: Limit
setting and
discipline
Tips for implementing discipline
• Consistency
• Implementing disciplinary action exactly as
agreed on and for each infraction
• Timing
• Initiate discipline as soon as child misbehaves
• Delay to avoid embarrassment
• Commitment
• Follow through with the details of the
discipline, such as timing of minutes
• Unity
• All caregivers know the rules, and apply them
• Flexibility
• Developmental appropriate discipline
Parenting: Limit
setting and
discipline
• Planning
• Plan what are the consequences for a
certain action
• Try to discipline while being calm
• Behavior orientation
• Always disapprove of the behavior, not
the child
• Privacy
• Administer discipline in private
• Termination
• Avoid bringing up the incident or
lecturing
Parentintg: Types of
discipline
• Inductive discipline
• Toddlers are uncapable of “seeing the
other side”.
• Focus on the action
• Reinforcement
• Rewarded behavior will be repeated.
• Parents must explain expected
behaviors and stablish rewards
• Ignoring behavior
• Understand the process
• Record the undesired behavior before
using ignoring to determine whether
a problem exists and to compare
results
• Determine whether parental
attentions acts as a reinforcer
• Be aware of response burst
Parentintg: Types of
discipline
• Strategy of consequences
• Natural
• They arrive late to dinner; they will have to help
clean up the dinner table
• Logical
• He cannot play with another toy unless the used
ones are put away
• Unrelated
• The rule is imposed deliberately
• They cannot play until they finish their homework
• The use of time out
• Time out
• Safe, convenient and unstimulating, but the child can be
monitored
• When they misbehave, they will be given one warning.
• Time starts when they quite down
• Length: 1 minute per year
What about physical punishment?
Parentintg: Types of discipline
• It may decrease the behavior for a short time period, but has many disadvantages
• The child learns that violence is okay
• The child may become used to physical punishment
• They won’t learn to behave for their own sake
• It may interfere with moral development
Special occasions:
Adoption
• Family receiving the child
• Adoptive parents have fewer
resources than biologic parents
• http://afadena.es/
• https://www.americanadoption
s.com/adoption/adoptee-
support-groups
• Should parents include their
other children into to decision?
Special occasions:
Adoption
• The sooner the infants enter their adoptive home, the better chances of parent
child attachment.
• How and when to tell them that they are adopted?
• Adopted children during adolescence
• They may fantasize about their biologic parents
• When enforcing discipline, adoptive children may try to manipulate their
parents
Special occasions: Divorces
• Situation in Spain
• Average duration of marriages: 16 years
• The divorce process
• Acute phase
• The married couple decides to separate and they begin with
the legal steps
• Lasts from months to more than a year
• Accompanied by familial stress and chaotic atmosphere
• Transitional phase
• Adults and children assume unfamiliar roles
• Characterized by the change of residence, reduced standard
of living and altered lifestyle
• Stabilizing phase
• Post divorce family reestablishes the family unit
Special occasions: Divorces
• Impact of divorce on children
• Parents preoccupied with their own feelings; they aren’t capable of supporting their
children
• Changes in parenting style and family functioning
• Early preschool children
• Frightened and confused
• Fear of abandonment
• Regressive behavior
• Separation anxiety
• Later preschool children
• Decrease self steem
• Early school
• Feelings of abandonment by departing parent
• Middle school
• Feelings of abandonment and rejection
• Later school
• Altered peer relations
• Adolescents
• Feelings of anxiety
Special occasions: Divorces
• Telling the children
• Include both parents and siblings
• Have a talk with each child about their concerns
• Children usually respond with feelings of guilt.
• Anger and resentment may appear
• Allow to communicate these feelings without
punishment
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbTFZ8cvHo4&ab_channel=TheC
hildofDivorce
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Rubel, A. N., & Burleigh, T. J. (2020). Counting polyamorists who count: Prevalence and definitions of an under-researched form of consensual nonmonogamy. Sexualities,
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Stevenson, M. M., Fabricius, W. V., Braver, S. L., & Cookston, J. T. (2018). Associations between parental relocation following separation in childhood and maladjustment in
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