Family and Community
Family and Community
CONCEPTS
FAMILY
It is a very important social
institution that performs two
major functions:
1. Reproduction
2. Socialization
It is generally considered as the
basic unit of care in the community
health nursing for many reasons:
1. It may contribute knowingly or
unknowingly to the development of
health and nursing problems of its
members.
2. It also performs health-promoting,
health maintaining and disease
preventing activities.
3. It is the family that provides unfailing
nursing care particularly to the
chronically-ill members, particularly to
the young and the elderly.
Family as a Social Institution
Family has been defined as a
number of persons joined together
by bonds of marriage or by blood or
adoption. (Burgess 1963)
A contemporary view debunks this
view by stating that family members
need not be bound by legal marriage
or by blood or adoption.
Friedman (1992) defines a family to
be composed of “two or more
persons who are joined together by
bonds of sharing and emotional
closeness.”
The family is viewed as being
capable of experiencing its own
distress, disruption and dysfunction
beyond that of the individual client.
The family is considered as the
client and thus, the family rather
than any individual member becomes
the focus of prevention.
The family is an open system and
has a continuous interchange with
the external social and physical
environment.
It is also a complex with an
intricate organizational structure.
It is regulating in the sense of
containing homeostatic mechanism
to restore balance.
Family is a group of 2 or more
persons who are related by
blood, marriage or adoption,
who constitutes a single
household, interact with each
other in their respective
familial roles and who create
and maintain a common
culture.
TYPES OF FAMILY
A. MEMBERSHIP
1. Nuclear Family – composed
of a husband, wife and their
children in a union, recognize
by the other members of
society
a. Family of Orientations – the
family to which one is born, reared
and socialized. It consists of a
father, mother, brothers and
sisters.
1. Patriarchal – authority is
vested on the father
2. Matriarchal – authority is
vested on the mother
3. Equilitarian – husband and
wife exercise a more or less
equal amount of authority.
D. RESIDENCE OR LOCATION
1. Patrilocal – family resides/
stays with or near domicile of
the parents of the husband
2. Matrilocal – lives near the
domicile of the parents of the
wife.
3. Neolocal – family
resides/stays away from the
relatives.
4. Avunculocal- prescribes the
newly wed couple to reside with or
near the maternal uncle of the
groom.
E. NAMING
1. Patronymic – the names are
derived from that of the father
or his descent
2. Matronymic – the names are
derived from that of the mother
of his ancient
3. Pynimic – one to which
combines the name of both
parents
TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS
THAT RESULTS FROM THE
FAMILY
1. AFFINAL – the union of the
man and woman through
marriage. The relationship
extends to the in laws, son or
daughter-in-law and cousin-in-
law.
2. CONSANGUINAL - relationship
through blood such as the
relatives of parents, children,
grandparents, siblings,
grandchildren, aunts, cousins and
uncles.
3. FICTIVE OR RITUAL – brought
through adoption or through some
rituals or ceremony like baptism,
confirmation or marriage.
Universal Functions of a Family
1. Physical – providing food, clothing
and shelter, provision of basic
necessities, protection against
danger, provision of body repair
after fatigue or illness and for
reproduction
2. Affection Function – the family is
the primary unit in which the child
tests his emotional reactions.
3. Social Function – fostering self-
esteem and personal identity.
4. Reproduction and Replacement
of Member – family regulates
sexual behavior and is the unit for
reproduction for additional member
and perfection of species.
5. Status Placement – gives his
member status, put them in social
position and physical maintenance.
6. Biological and Emotional
Maintenance – physical and
material needs with love,
security and guidance.
7. Socialization and care of
Children – provision of proper
education so individual be able
to socialize or interact with
others.
8. Social Control – learns about
values and standards of behavior
so that they will be accepted by
the people.
9. Performs economic,
education, recreational,
religious and political
functions. Placement of
member into larger society.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
FAMILY AS A CLIENT
Develops trust
- Establishing a
mutually satisfying
BEGINNING marriage
FAMILY - Planning to have
or not to have
children
STAGE TASKS
-Having and
adjusting to
CHILD-BEARING infant
FAMILY - Supporting the
needs of these
members
- Renegotiating
marital
relationship
STAGE TASKS
- adjusting the
cost of family life
- adapting the
FAMILY WITH
PRE-SCHOOL needs of pre-
CHILDREN school children to
stimulate growth
and development
- coping with
parental loss of
energy and privacy
STAGE TASKS
adjusting to the
-
activity of growing
children
FAMILY WITH
- promoting joint
SCHOOL-AGE
decisions between
CHILDREN children and parents
- encouraging and
supporting children’s
educational
achievements
STAGE TASKS
Maintaining open
-
communication among
members
FAMILY - supporting ethical and moral
WITH values within the family
TEEN- - balancing freedom with
AGERS AND responsibility
YOUNG - releasing young adults with
c. economy
d. Culture
e. Political dynamics
f. Availability and adequacy of social
services
g. Availability and accessibility of
health resources.
WHAT IS A “HEALTHY
COMMUNITY”?
11 CHARACTERISTICS THAT COULD
SERVE AS A GUIDE TO DEVELOP A
“HEALTHY COMMUNITY”, BE IT
RURAL OR URBAN.
1. awareness that ‘we are community’;