scholarly journals Family functioning guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-542
Author(s):  
Tessa K. Kritikos ◽  
Grayson N. Holmbeck

Research supports a resilience-disruption model of family functioning in families with a child with spina bifida. Guidelines are warranted to both minimize disruption to the family system and maximize family resilience and adaptation to multiple spina bifida-related and normative stressors. This article discusses the spina bifida family functioning guidelines from the 2018 Spina Bifida Association’s Fourth Edition of the Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida, and reviews evidence-based directions with the intention of helping individuals with spina bifida achieve optimal mental health throughout their lifespan. Guidelines address clinical questions pertaining to the impact of having a child with spina bifida on family functioning, resilience and vulnerability factors, parenting behaviors that may facilitate adaptive child outcomes, and appropriate interventions or approaches to promote family functioning. Gaps in the research and future directions are discussed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-534
Author(s):  
Tessa K. Kritikos ◽  
Kathryn Smith ◽  
Grayson N. Holmbeck

Spina bifida’s (SB) impact on cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functioning places individuals at risk for mental health concerns. This article discusses the SB Mental Health Guidelines from the 2018 Spina Bifida Association’s Fourth Edition of the Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida and reviews evidence-based directions with the intention of helping individuals with SB achieve optimal mental health throughout the lifespan. Guidelines address clinical questions pertaining to the psychosocial impact of SB on mental health and adaptation, domains of mental health that are affected in individuals with SB, areas of resilience, common maladaptive behaviors that may impact people with SB, and resources or practices that are helpful in mitigating mental health issues in this population. Gaps in the research and future directions are discussed.


Author(s):  
Nahema El Ghaziri ◽  
Jérémie Blaser ◽  
Joëlle Darwiche ◽  
Joan-Carles Suris ◽  
Javier Sanchis Zozaya ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The ongoing Syrian civil war has led to massive population displacements, leading to the reorganization of the asylum policies of several countries. Accordingly, like other European countries, the Swiss government has recently chosen to implement a specific resettlement program. This program is characterized by the fact that the whole nuclear family is granted a work and residence permit upon arrival, and benefits from enhanced integration services. The aim of the present project is to evaluate the effects of the Swiss resettlement program, with a special focus on mental health, while adopting a family perspective. Methods The outcomes of 15 Syrian families taking part in this program will be compared to those of 15 Syrian families that came to Switzerland through other means (i.e., following the usual asylum procedure, which is much more stressful and time consuming). Each family member above 8 years old will be invited to participate to a 3-wave longitudinal survey concerning the resettlement process: upon arrival in the collective shelters, six and 12 months later. Questionnaires will be used for the evaluation of participants’ mental health, risk behaviors, general health, romantic relationship, parent-child relationship, family functioning, parentification, social support, and social identities related to group belongingness. Discussion The findings of the present project will provide longitudinal information on Syrian refugees. A comprehensive approach will be adopted by screening potential difficulties that the sample may be faced with and potential strengths that participants may rely on. Accordingly, physical and mental health, as well as the quality of family functioning, the feeling of support and of belongingness to different groups will be evaluated. We will also compare the results of families who had the chance to immigrate through the Swiss resettlement program, to the results of families that did not. This comparison will allow the elaboration of hypotheses regarding adjusted asylum policies. Furthermore, it will enhance our knowledge regarding the impact of displacement on the family system. Indeed, although the role of the family for the well-being of adults and children has been established, surprisingly few studies have adopted this focus in the asylum field.


Author(s):  
Kylie Agllias

Family estrangement—a concept similar to emotional cutoff in Bowen family systems theory—is the unsatisfactory physical or emotional distancing between at least two family members. It is attributed to a number of biological, psychological, social, and structural factors affecting the family, including attachment disorders, incompatible values and beliefs, unfulfilled expectations, critical life events and transitions, parental alienation, and ineffective communication patterns. Family estrangement is often experienced as a considerable loss; its ambiguous nature and social disenfranchisement can contribute to significant grief responses, perceived stigma, and social isolation in some cases. The social-work profession has a role to play in raising social and political awareness of the prevalence of, contributors to, and effects of estrangement on the intergenerational family, with clinicians working to assess and address the impact of estrangement on individuals and the family system.


Author(s):  
Corrie L. Jackson ◽  
Sam Margolius ◽  
Julie Stout ◽  
Scott Browning
Keyword(s):  

1984 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.D. Steinhauer ◽  
J. Santa-Barbara ◽  
H. Skinner

The Process Model of Family Functioning differs from the McMaster Model of Family Functioning and their common source, the Family Categories Schema, by its increased emphasis on the dynamic interaction between the major dimensions of family functioning, and by its stress on the interface between intrapsychic subsystems and the interpersonal dimensions of the family system. A model of family process rather than family structure, it defines six universal criteria of family functioning. It describes the processes involved in each along with the content components and the critical aspects of each. A self-report test developed from the model (FAM-III) is being widely used both as a research tool and as a clinical adjunct. Tests to define its validity and reliability continue.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Weeland ◽  
Loes Keijsers ◽  
Susan Branje

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about worldwide challenges and had a profound impact on family dynamics, relationships and routines. At the same time, the impact may differ largely due to regional differences in the numbers of infections and severity of preventive measures, as well as individual and contextual risk and protective factors. The aims of this special issue were therefore to (1) provide insight into the impact of the pandemic on the family system and (2) increase our understanding of how this impact may differ between families. This special issue consists of 13 original empirical studies that show how the pandemic affected families across different levels of the family system. At first sight, it seems that many families were able to cope relatively well with the stressors. Yet, for others the demands of the pandemic and pandemic-related measures seemed to exceed their capabilities and available resources. Importantly, the studies in this special issue suggest that the pandemic disproportionally affected children, caregivers and families who were already at risk. Together, the contributions to the special issue offer knowledge on the consequences of both the pandemic and preventive measures on family functioning. At the same time it also raises questions on the long-term impact of the pandemic and its impact on families who are currently underrepresented in empirical research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111
Author(s):  
Justyna Świerczyńska ◽  
Agnieszka Mazur ◽  
Izabela Chojnowska-Ćwiąkała ◽  
Agnieszka Podosek

Abstract This article presents the problem of the functioning of a family with a child suffering from two painful, chronic and incurable diseases - cystic fibrosis and short bowel syndrome. Its aim is to learn about the impact of these diseases on the occurrence and course of mental disorders in a child and on the functioning of the whole family in which such a child is brought up. Like any long-term illness of a child, it has influenced changes in the functioning of the family system. The parents’ functioning and the flexibility of the family system conditioned the acceptance of the diagnosis and determined further participation of the family in the treatment process. This article also discusses the risk of unfavorable attitudes of parents towards the child’s illnesses, which may contribute to the development of mental disorders in the child patient, as well as in his/her parents or siblings. In the process of treatment and rehabilitation, the necessity for cooperation of medical staff, the patient and his/her parents has been emphasised.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. e85-e90
Author(s):  
Anna Rozensztrauch ◽  
Robert Śmigiel ◽  
Michał Błoch ◽  
Dariusz Patkowski

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