Family and Community Health Nursing Course

Lecture 1
Learning Objectives:
1. Define family.
2. List the types of families.
3. Enumerate the universal characteristics of families.
4. Describe the important characteristics of healthy families.
5. Review the roles and functions of the families

Definition of Family:
The United Nations (UN) defines family " As the basic unit of society" (2011).
Allender (2014), Page 570
Families are "Two or more individuals who share a residence or live near one another, depend on one another for emotional, physical or economical support and share a sense of affection and belonging. The members of the family are self-defined".
Stanhope (2012)
Types of Families:
1. Nuclear Family- It composed of two biological parents and their children.
2. Single-parent Family – Family which has only one parent
3. Adoptive / Foster Families -
4. Never- married Families -
5. Blended families – Family made up of a couple and their children from previous marriages.
6. Cross generational Families- children under 18 years old live with one or both parents in their grandparents home.
Stanhope (2012)

Universal Characteristics of Families:
1. Every family is a small social system.
2. Every family has its own cultural values and rules.
3. Every family has structure.
4. Every family has certain basic functions.
5. Every family moves through stages in its life cycle.

Allender (2014), page 571
Characteristics of Healthy Families:
Healthy families were described as having six important characteristics.
1. There is a facilitative process of interaction among the family members.
(Healthy families communicate, socialize and interact effectively).
2. They enhance individual member development.
(Healthy families are responsive to their individual members needs and provide freedom and support to promote each member s development).
3. Role relationships are structured effectively.
(Healthy families structure their role relationships to meet changing family needs over time).
4. They actively attempt to cope with the problem.
(Their coping ability is enhanced by tendency to new ideas and means for solving problems).
5. There is a healthy home environment and life-styles.
(Healthy families create safe and hygienic living conditions for their members.
Healthy families promote a healthy life-styles by encouraging a balance of activity and rest, nutrition, regular exercise, etc.).
6. They establish regular and dynamics links with border community.
(They participate regularly in external groups and activities).

Allender (2014), page 593-594
Family Functions:
1. Providing Affection – Give members affection and emotional support.

2. Providing Security and Acceptance – meet their members physical needs by providing food, shelter, clothing, health care, secure environment, and equips them with skills necessary to cope with the outside world.

3. Instilling Identity and Satisfaction – give their members a sense of social and personal identity.

4. Promoting Affiliation and Companionship – give members a sense of belonging throughout life. Provides its members with affiliation and fellowship that remain unbroken by distance or time. Family affiliation remains a resource for life.
5. Providing Socialization – families transmit their culture, values, attitudes, goals, behavior patterns to their members. Members, socialized into a way of life that reflects and preserves the family culture to the next generation.

6. Establishing Controls (Legal component) - families maintain order through establishment of social controls both within the family and between family members and outsiders e.g. problem solving, social ties, social interaction etc.
Allender (2014), page 575.


Family Roles:
1. Father role may be assigned as an authoritative one that includes establishing rules, judging behavior, and administering punishment for violation of rules. Sometimes primarily as that a breadwinner and supporting the mother s decisions in day to day childrearing.
2. If there is an absence of a male parent, a grandfather, uncle, or even the mother may take over the father role.
3. Families distribute among their members all the responsibilities and tasks to conduct family living. Older children may help younger ones with homework or entertain them.
4. Family members may play several additional roles and responsibilities, and varies with each child s needs.
Confusion and conflict can develop unless roles are clarified.
5. Other roles of family may extend beyond the immediate family. eg. if both parents are employed, they may have an expansive network of folks within the neighborhood.
The community health nurse must work with families to achieve
a balance of activities that promote family health.

Allender (2014), page 574