- Published: January 16, 2022
- Updated: January 16, 2022
- University / College: Macquarie University
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 49
Family Health The essay aims to address a two-fold objective to wit to identify the major traits of a healthy family and the keys to build strong family bonds; and (2) to explain each major trait.
Family Health
Each family has different strengths, coping skills, and characteristics that enable them to adapt and reorganized when faced with normal and unexpected transitions throughout the family life cycle. A family is not only a group of people living under the same roof but a group of people interacting with one another and enjoying quality relationships (Basavanthappa, 2008, 126).
There are traits or qualities that keep a family healthy, strong, and effective member of the society. According to Basavanthappa (2008), a healthy family has: commitment towards the promotion of wellbeing and growth, sense of appreciation and encouragement, unity in attaining quality time, common goal, congruence regarding values, positive communication and interactions, set of rules, values and beliefs, engagement in problem-solving activities, sense of optimism, and ability to be flexible (p. 126). These traits are also the foundation of a strong family bond.
A healthy family not only promotes the welfare of the family as a unit but has sense of commitment and belief towards the promotion of wellbeing and growth of individual family members. The family values diversity and welcomes opportunities for growth and development. Aside from that, a family becomes healthy and strong bonds are formed if things, whether little or great, are appreciated and recognized by members of the family. Each member should never feel that he/she had disappointed the family; instead, an encouraging environment focusing on achieving better must be created. Doing things or spending time together makes a family healthy as it exercised unity, enjoyment, and verbalization of feelings towards other members of the family. It will also be healthier if the family has a common goal in order to motivate each member in good times and to move forward during the bad times. The congruence in terms of value and importance of assigning time and energy to meet the demands is also an important trait in dealing with possible conflicts and enhancing positive relationships. Frequent communication is a trait that should not be forgotten as it is essential in establishing strong bonds that could make a family healthy. Rules, values, beliefs, and expectations must be communicated to all the members of the family to establish acceptable and desired behavior. Lastly, a family should be exposed to problem-solving activities in order to prepare them to unexpected situations and teach them how to meet demands and maximize available resources. A family should have a sense of optimism, various coping strategies, and ability to be flexible. The family can use these traits in unexpected life events as being optimistic can make a family see crisis as opportunities for growth and learning, being flexible can make the family adjust to the present situation and plan for the future, and being equip with coping strategies can make a family promote positive functioning in the society.
Reference
Basavanthappa, B. T. (2008). Family Health Nursing. Community Health Nursing (2nd ed.) (p. 108-189). New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers Ltd.