CONCEPTS OF

FAMILY
Rishyl B. Anoche,RM,MMHA
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After lecture discussion, the students expected to:
1. Defined the family role in family nursing practice.
2. Identified the types of family and its functions.
3. Enumerate the different stages of family cycle.
FAMILY
 Family is a group of persons united by ties of marriage, blood,
birth, or adoption. (Burgess and Locke, 2001).
 The family is generally regarded as a major social institution
and a focus of much of a person's social and health activities.
FAMILY
 Family health is of utmost importance to continue to
function as one unit of the community.
 It is the prime entity of health care responsible for the
maintenance of the physical, mental, emotional and social
of each member.
FAMILY ROLE
 Family as a unit has to perform different tasks to function as a
whole.
 For peace and harmony of the family everybody must be
aware of their duties and responsibilities.
 The tasks of each member are associated with the position in
the family of each member.
FAMILY ROLE
 The father is the breadwinner and chief provider of the family.
 The family depends on him for education, basic needs and
financial support.
 The mother is the manager and treasurer of the family.
 She shares the effort for financial support by working or
doing odd jobs to earn additional income.
FAMILY ROLE
 However, the role of the father and mother at this time can be
interchangeable:
 the mother can assume as the breadwinner by working
abroad or earning a regular income to support the family and
the father may serve as the manager of the house.
 Negotiations with this kind of arrangement must be clear to
maintain the harmony and solidarity of the family.
FAMILY ROLE
 The children share in almost all of the homemaking tasks to
will ensure participation of the family members.
 The girls may help the mother in doing the household chores,
while the boys are usually handles the heavy work the house.
TYPES OF FAMILY
Family structure refers to the characteristics and
demographics of individual members who make up
family units. (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2004).

Nuclear or Conjugal Family

is composed of the husband, wife and children united
by ties of marriage and having harmonious relationship
based on mutual understanding.
TYPES OF FAMILY
Extended or Consanguineous Family
is composed of two or more families connected through
extended parent child relationship. This may include the
grandparents, grand children, in-laws and others.
TYPES OF FAMILY
 Dyad Family
Consisting only of husband and wife such as newly married
couples and “empty nesters”

 Blended Family
Results from union where one or both spouses bring a child or
children from a previous marriage into a new living arrangement.
TYPES OF FAMILY
 Compound Family
Where a man has more than one spouse; approved by
Philippine authorities only among Muslims by virtue of PD
No. 1083, also known as the code of Muslim Personal Laws
of the Philippines.

 Communal Family
Orphanages, home for the aged.
TYPES OF FAMILY
 Cohabiting Family
Commonly described as a “live in” arrangement between
an unmarried couple who are called common-law
spouses and their child or children from such an
arrangement.
 FAMILY STRUCTURE
 Single Parent Family
Results from the death of a spouse, separation or pregnancy
outside of wedlock.

 Gay, lesbian or homosexual family

Is made up of cohabiting couple of the same sex in sexual
relationship.
 Family Code of the Philippines (EO 209)
 Expressly states that marriage is a special contract of
permanent union between a man and a woman entered
into in accordance w/ the law for the establishment of
conjugal and family life.

 Same-sex marriage is not legally acceptable

TYPES OF FAMILY
 Bi-nuclear Family
Divorced/separated who share conjugal rights with
children.

 Step Family
Widowed or separated(re-marriage)
FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
 The family fulfills two important purposes
To meet the needs of society
To meet the needs of individual family members
 The family is the “buffer” between individuals and society.
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
 Each family approaches the transition from living-at-home to
launching-into-the-world a little differently.
 As a family moves from one stage of life to another, they have
to navigate new territory in which the rules of the game have
shifted. It can be very stressful.
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
 Stage 1: Family of origin experiences
During this phase, maintaining relationships with parents,
siblings and peers to develop the foundations of a model of
family life is established.
 Stage 2: Leaving Home
Differentiation of self from family of origin and parents are
determined.
The adult starts to developing adult to adult intimate and peer
relationships.
The adult develops work identity and financial independence
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
 Stage 3: Pre-marriage stage
The adult has selected and developed a relationship with his
partner. He may have decided to establish own home with
someone.
 Stage 4: Childless couple stage
The couple now is now adjusting to relationships with
families of origin and peers to include partner and have
developed a way to live together both practically and
emotionally.
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
Stage 5: Family with young children
 The couple has realigned relationships with families of origin
to include:
parenting and grand parenting roles,
family system to make space for adopting parent role and
facilitate children to develop peer relationships.
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
Stage 6: Family with adolescents
They are focused on adjusting family relationships to focus on
midlife relationship and career issues are the primary tasks of
the adults.
Taking on responsibility of caring for families of origin
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
Stage 7: Launching children
Negotiating adult to adult relationships with children,
resolving midlife issues, adjusting to living as a couple again
are the primary tasks to be developed.
Adjusting to including in-laws and grandchildren within the
family circle and dealing with disabilities and death in the
family of origin are also considered.
STAGES OF FAMILY CYCLE
Stage 8: Later family life
Coping with physiological decline in self and others,
Valuing the wisdom and experience of the elderly.
 Dealing with loss of spouse and peers
Preparation for death, life review, reminiscence and
integration
FAMILY AS A UNIT OF CARE
 The family is considered as the basic unit of the society.
 The health problems of each member of the family are
interlocking in terms of health decisions and actions for health
care.
 The health condition of each member affects the system as a
whole and the decisions to seek health care depends on family
since they are the primary caregiver to its members.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY
AS A PATIENT
 Freeman (1970) has enumerated the characteristics of a family
as a patient:
 The family is a product of time and space.
The social tasks and organization of the family varies according to
place where they live and time of their existence.

 The family develops its own life style.

Each family have their own set family values, behavior beliefs and
lifestyle that will affect their perception about health care.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY
AS A PATIENT
 The family operates as a group/whole.
 The family as a whole make decisions with their problems,
concerns and issues that will affect them.
They have their own pattern of handling family problems.
 The family accommodates to the needs of the individual.
Each member of the family is a unique individual that have the
tasks to fulfil for himself and his family.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY
AS A PATIENT
 The family relates to the community.
Each family has social responsibility to their community.
They have the ability relate and function as member of the
community
 THE FAMILY IN HEALTH AND
ILLNESS
 The Family in Health and Illness
The individual’s coping with personal needs is reflected in his
personal behavior that he has adapted from his family.
Illness is considered as a crisis in the family, it brings about
changes in the roles and responsibilities of each member.
The stress brought about by the illness can affect the financial,
social capability of the family that may lead to rekindled
family stability and closeness.
 THE FAMILY IN HEALTH AND
ILLNESS
 The Family in Health and Illness
 Friedmann and associates (2003) identified the importance of
family centered care:
The family is composed of interd ependent members who affect
each other.
A strong relationship exists between the family and the health
status of each member.
THE FAMILY IN HEALTH AND
ILLNESS
 The Family in Health and Illness
 Friedmann and associates (2003) identified the importance
of family centered care:

The level of health of the family can be significantly

improved through health promotion activities.
Illness of one family member may suggest the
possibility of the same problem to other members.
 THE FAMILY IN HEALTH AND
ILLNESS
Family Risk Factors
 Family life patterns and behavior, genetics, environment plays
an important role in maintaining health of each member.
 Each of the factors may lead to risks to health problems.
Lifestyle Risk Factors
Nutritional problems
Drugs and alcohol dependency
Unhealthy lifestyle
Inadequate hygiene
 THE FAMILY IN HEALTH AND
ILLNESS
 Psychosocial Risk Factors
Conflict between family members
Inadequate income to meet the needs of the family
Inadequate childcare resources
 Environmental Risks Factors
Work or social pressures
Air, water and food pollution
Unfavorable living conditions
 THE FAMILY IN HEALTH AND
ILLNESS
 Developmental Risks Factors
Families with new babies
Older people living alone
Lack of educational resource

 Biologic Risk Factors

Birth defects
Mental retardation
Genetic /hereditary illness
Thank you