Family functioning and environmental resources offered by families of children with mental disorders

Abstract

Introduction. The presence of mental disorders in a family may cause various losses in its functioning and characteristics. Objective. To determine which environmental resources are offered to children with mental disorders by their families and how they correlated with the family functioning. Method. The study included a total of 33 persons responsible for children with mental disorders. The subjects responded to two questionnaires to characterize family functioning (FACES IV) and the availability of resources in the family environment (RAF). Data were analyzed in a descriptively and the Spearman correlation test was used to identify associations between variables. Results. Most of the children were male and attended school, and the most frequent psychiatric diagnoses were attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Most families were considered to have good family functioning (87.9%), with only 12.1% being considered dysfunctional. Regarding environmental resources, the highest mean values were assigned to the presence of toys (6.9 ± 2.0) and to family gatherings for routine activities (6.6 ± 2.3). Family cohesion, flexibility, communication, and satisfaction (functional) were positively correlated with the offer of activities and resources and negatively correlated with unbalanced (dysfunctional) subscales. Discussion and conclusion. Children’s mental disorders do not appear to affect family dynamics in a significant manner. However, family functioning interferes with the types of activities and resources it offers to the child and that may have an impact on his/her development.

Efectos de la pandemia en la familia y en la sociedad ecuatoriana.

“…Es por lo que se fundamenta la presente reflexión en torno a los problemas tanto físicos como psicológicos que puede presentar la familia en época de pandemia, de manera sistémica, donde la familia y sociedad, constituyen un todo, esto corresponde a una organización en la cual sus elementos sin excepción están intrínsecamente vinculados y no pueden separarse. Por tal motivo, es necesario destacar la importancia de la familia, así como la escuela en la formación psíquica del individuo (Dilleggi, Rosa, & Santos, 2019).…”

Desarrollo psicomotor en la infancia temprana y funcionalidad familiar

“…Se ha estudiado al funcionamiento familiar y su relación con la salud psicológica de los niños/as. Los resultados indican que la funcionalidad del sistema familiar se correlaciona estrecha y positivamente con la salud psicológica de los niño/as (Checa et al, 2019;Dilleggi et al, 2019;Wiegand-Grefe et al, 2019), promoviendo sus fortalezas y recursos comportamentales (Kinas Bueno et al, 2020). También se correlaciona negativamente con riesgos de problemas de salud mental y externalización de problemas de comportamiento (Brassell et al, 2016;Briggs et al, 2019;Kinas Bueno et al, 2020;Oltean et al, 2020;Wang & Zhou, 2015).…”

“…A su vez, en caso de haberse diagnosticado algún trastorno psicológico en el niño/a, se concluye que óptimos niveles de cohesión, flexibilidad y comunicación familiar, así como también buen nivel de satisfacción con el funcionamiento familiar se correlacionan positivamente con la disponibilidad y puesta en marcha de recursos de la familia en aquellos niños/as, influyendo en la gestión adecuada de problemas conductuales (Checa et al, 2019) e impactando positivamente con la terapia psicológica (Dilleggi et al, 2019). Estas familias se muestran más abiertas a los cambios necesarios para el bienestar del niño/a (Checa et al, 2019).…”

Family Functioning of People with Disabilities: Cluster-Based Analysis

“…The family system is an important context for the psychosocial development process of the person with disabilities (Roque Hernández & Acle Tomasin, 2013). The family's adaptation process depends on multiple factors, from the existence of a social support network to factors such as family functioning (Dilleggi, Rosa, & Santos, 2019). Olson's Circumplex Model (Olson, 2000) is considered a useful model for assessing family functioning, as it focuses on the system and integrates three dimensions of analysis, constantly considered as relevant in family models and family therapy approaches: cohesion, flexibility, and communication (Gouveia-Pereira, Gomes, Miranda, & Candeias, 2020).…”

“…Finally, communication facilitates the management of family cohesion and flexibility, allowing family members, based on positive communication skills, to deal with the different demands inherent to the development of the members and the family group, as well as those arising from life events or situations (Olson, 2000). In this adaptation and flexibilization process, some families may act in a protective way, offering support and opportunities to the person with disability, or offer a greater risk, by limiting and hindering their autonomy processes (Dilleggi et al, 2019).…”