FAMILY DYNAMIC IN
HEALTH AND DISEASE
Instructor :Dr. Ibrahim Bani
Course: Com116
College of Medicine
Ajman University
Outlines
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Social Model of Health
Factors influencing health
Family definition
Types of families
Family life cycle
Potential influences of family on health and illness
Protective influences of family on health and illness
The Social Model of Health
Family
Individual
Community
Society
Factors influencing health
biology, 15%
physical
environment,
10%
social , 50%
health care
systems, 25%
Half of health arises through socially determined pathways
(Source: Canadian Institute for Advanced Research)
Family definition
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“ It is a group of individuals connected to each other
biologically, legally, or by choice from whom the
person can reasonably expect a measure of support
in form of food, shelter, finance, and emotional
nurturing”
Oxford handbook of family medicine
Family Dynamic
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refers to the ways in which family members
relate to one another.
Because humans are capable of change, and
family members take part in different
experiences, the dynamics within a family never
remain the same.
What is a healthy family dynamic
There are several characteristics that are generally
identified with a well-functioning family.
Some include: support; love and caring for 
other family members; providing security and a
sense of belonging; open communication; making
each person within the family feel important,
valued, respected and esteemed.
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How does family play a role in
healthcare?
The presence of family constitutes an 
important source of psychological stability for
the patient, as well as a source of support for
better recovery, since it helps him to maintain
a contact with his house and his friends. ...
This, because family can satisfy basic needs
of the patient in the hospital to a large extent.
Traits of strong families
Strong families express appreciation and affection. •
Strong families have a strong commitment to each •
other. ...
Strong families spend enjoyable time together. ... •
Strong families manage stress and crisis effectively. ...
Strong families have a sense of spiritual well-being. •
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The importance of family health
Family members share their genes, as well as their
environment, lifestyles, and habits.
Everyone can recognize traits such as curly hair, 
dimples, leanness, or athletic ability that run in their
families.
Risks for diseases such as 
asthma, diabetes, cancer, and heart 
disease also run in families.
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Central Elements of Family Practice
(1) comprehensiveness of care,
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(2) anticipation of problems and continuity of care, 
(3) personal relationships with a patient, 
(4) medical knowledge and skills characteristic of family medicine,
(5) values and attitudes that enhance family medicine, 
(6) problem definition and medical decision making, 
(7) problem management and resource coordination, 
(8) care of the individual within the family context, 
(9) involvement with the community, and 
(10) attentiveness to practice organization. 
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Factors affecting family dynamics;
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Parent relationship
Financial state
Number of children
Disease state
Ill health behaviors
Community needs
Types of families
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Family units through out the world are not the same.
Industrialization, urbanization and democratization has
affect the family structure and family life cycle.
The three main types of families are:
Nuclear or elementary family,
 Joint or extended family,
 Single Parent Family
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Nuclear family
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Nuclear or elementary family is universal in all human
societies.
It consist of the married couples and their children
while they are still regarded as dependent. They tend
to occupy the same dwelling space.
The absence of near relatives places great burden on
the parents for child rearing. But the husband-wife
relation is more intimate.
Disadvantages of nuclear family;
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nuclear family unit can isolate people from other
relatives and relationships
Family members, particularly mothers, may have a
tendency to burn out from attempting to meet every
person's needs alone
Less Conflict Resolution Skills
Joint family “union is strength”
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The joint or extended family is a kind of family grouping
which is common in India, Africa, Far east and Middle
East.
The main characteristics of joint family are:
It consist of a number of married couples (related by blood)
and their children who lives together in the same household.
 All property is held in common.
 All the authority is vested in the senior male member.
 The familial relation enjoy primacy over marital relation.
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Why Extended Families Exist
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Economics
Health
Divorce
Benefits of Extended Families
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Greater security for family members to feel
connected.
Greater financial security with multiple working
adults.
Increased sharing of cultural and cross-generational
family values.
More role models for younger family members.
Single Parent Family
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Consists of one parent raising one or more children
on his own.
Often, a single parent family is a mother with her
children, although there are single fathers as well.
When only one parent is at home, it may be a
struggle to find childcare, as there is only one parent
working.
Family life cycle
Phases of family life cycle
No.
Description
Events characteristics
Beginning of phase
End of phase
I. Formation
Marriage
Birth of 1st child
II. Extension
Birth of 1st child
Birth of last child
III. Complete extension
Birth of last child
1st child leaves home
IV. Contraction
1st child leaves home
Last child leaves home of
parents
V . Complete contraction
Last child leaves home
of parents
1st spouse dies
VI. Dissolution
1st spouse dies
Death of survivor
(extinction)
Potential influences of family on
health and illness
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Genetics and disease susceptibility;
- Hemophilia.
-Sickle Cell Anemia.
- Hypertension.
- Diabetes type 2.
Prenatal and perinatal transmission
of diseases;
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Syphilis.
Hepatitis B&C.
HIV.
Herpes.
Bacterial infections.
Child rearing and nurturing;
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When to have children.
How children should be raised.
How much children should be held
Nutrition and life style;
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Family traditions and socioeconomics play an
important role in access to adequate nutrition.
Many lifestyle behaviors are influenced by our
parents;
smoking
alcohol consumption
exercise
diet
Other potential influences;
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Access to and quality of care.
Spread of infectious diseases.
Outcome in acute and chronic illness.
Protective influences of family on
health and illness
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Closeness and connectedness.
Decision making and organization.
Personality formation.
Socialization.
Direct communication and support.
Socialization
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Socialization
 The
process where by the individuals develop qualities
essential for functioning effectively in the society in
which they live.
 Teaching the young the values of society and
transmitting information, culture, beliefs and general
codes of conducts in the community.
Personality formation
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Personality formation
 This
is more latent function.
 The capacity of an individual to withstand stress and
strain and the way in which he interacts with other
people is to a large extend determined by his early
experience in his family, mainly father, mother and
siblings.
Care of dependent adult
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Care of dependent adult
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Care of the sick and injured:
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Care for women during pregnancy and child birth:
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The family is expected to provide the frontline care, particularly the
mother.
Studies show that the families does more nursing than hospital, even in
highly developed countries.
Care during pregnancy and child birth affect infant death, maternal
mortality, premature and still births.
Care of the aged and handicapped:
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With the increasing number of this category have created a new
problem in terms of long term care and specialized facilities. With out
the family support no amount of medical care can succeed.
Broken family
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Broken family
A broken family is one where the parents have separated, or
where death has occurred of one or both the parents.
 “Maternal deprivation” is the most dangerous pathogenic
factor in child development.
 Children who are victims of broken families early in
childhood found to display in later years psychopathic
behaviors, immature personality and even retardation of
growth, speech and intellect.
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Problem families
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Problem families
Problem families are those which lag behind the rest of the
community.
 The standards of life are far below the accepted minimum,
and parents are unable to meet physical and emotional
needs of their children.
 The underlying factors are: personality, relationship, poverty,
illness, mental and emotional instability.
 Children who are reared in such environment are victims of
prostitution, crime and vagrancy.
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Conclusion
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The family plays an important part in both health
and disease:
 in
the prevention,
 Treatment of individual illness,
 In the care of children and dependent adults,
 In the stabilization of personalities of both adult and
children,
 The family is the fulcrum of health services.
“The secret of national health lies
in the homes of the people”
Florence
Nightingale
Born
12 May 1820(1820-05-12)
Died
13 August 1910 (aged 90)
London, United Kingdom
Known for
Pioneering modern nursing
THANK YOU