Elaborating the Family Structure
Understanding family structure and style is essential to patient and family care. Conducting a family interview and needs assessment gathers information to identify strengths, as well as potential barriers to health. This information ultimately helps develop family-centered strategies for support and guidance.
This family health assessment is a two-part assignment. The information you gather in this initial assignment will be utilized for the second assignment in Topic 3.
Develop an interview questionnaire to be used in a family-focused functional assessment. The questionnaire must include three open-ended, family-focused questions to assess functional health patterns for each of the following:
Values/Health Perception
Nutrition
Sleep/Rest
Elimination
Activity/Exercise
Cognitive
Sensory-Perception
Self-Perception
Role Relationship
Sexuality
Coping
Select a family, other than your own, and seek permission from the family to conduct an interview. Utilize the interview questions complied in your interview questionnaire to conduct a family-focused functional assessment. Document the responses as you conduct the interview.
Upon completion of the interview, write a 750-1,000-word paper. Analyze your assessment findings. Submit your questionnaire as an appendix with your assignment.
Include the following in your paper:
Describe the family structure. Include individuals and any relevant attributes defining the family composition, race/ethnicity, social class, spirituality, and environment.
Summarize the overall health behaviors of the family. Describe the current health of the family.
Based on your findings, describe at least two of the functional health pattern strengths noted in the findings. Discuss three areas in which health problems or barriers to health were identified.
Describe how family systems theory can be applied to solicit changes in family members that, in turn, initiate positive changes to the overall family functions over time.
Cite at least three peer-reviewed or scholarly sources to complete this assignment. Sources should be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
Family Health Assessment Part I
Your name
Subject and Section
Professor’s name
Date
Family Structure
Composition
The _______ Family is composed of five members, including the mother, 36 years old, the father, 38 years old, and three young girls, ages 16, 14, and 10, respectively. The parents work during weekdays from morning until afternoon while all of their kids go to online schooling. Since the pandemic, the family hired a nanny to take care of the children while their parents are aware. Both parents work in a marketing company, and their salaries are competitive.
Environment
They live in a middle-class neighborhood in a four-bedroom and two-story house. The convenience stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics, schools, parks, department stores, and playgrounds are accessible within walking distance. The children have friends within their neighborhood, and they have access to open spaces where they can play games from time to time. They also have access to nearby recreational areas such as sports stadiums, movie houses, and arcades.
Race and Spirituality
The father is an American, while the mother is a Filipina who grew up in the United States. Due to the mother’s religiousness, they baptized their kids under the Roman Catholic religion. All of them pray regularly and attend the Sunday mass and holy days of obligation most of the time unless there is an emergency or unexpected event. All the family members were taught the Filipino culture because their parents keep in touch with their relatives in the Philippines.
Overall Health Behaviors
Generally, the family is inclined to science and dismisses superstitious beliefs on health. The parents vaccinated their kids and themselves, and they follow the protocols regarding COVID-19 in their community religiously.
The parents know how to cook, but usually, the mother cooks the meals three times daily. They usually eat fruits and vegetables. As much as possible, they refrain from overeating unhealthy fat, especially pork meat. The children were also allowed to eat junk food occasionally. The parents drink fruit or vegetable juices while the children drink milk at breakfast and before sleep. Everyone in the family drinks at least two liters of water daily. The parents usually eat with their kids during breakfast and dinner and eat lunch at work. The children are left with their nanny, and she manages their food. All of them have a good bowel movement except for the youngest child, who is usually constipated.
Due to the high demand at work, the mother has insomnia and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. However, she already sought a consult from a psychiatrist and currently taking antidepressants. The father is also usually stressed but takes time to relax by playing with his children and the play station. The family also goes out every Sunday and takes a walk at the park or plays badminton or volleyball. The children are only allowed to use the gadgets for games or social media for a maximum of two hours. However, the parents cannot fully track this at the moment because of the online classes.
The parents are quite sedentary, but they take at least an hour of aerobic exercise with their children (i.e., jogging, Zumba, running) during weekends and another hour for weightlifting. They also play with their kids and do the household chores for additional activity. During weekdays, they usually ride the car to go to work.
All of them are open to one another as they have face-to-face open forums now, preventing the kids from feeling neglected. Also, the children are encouraged to speak against the parents’ will as long as it is done respectfully and professionally. When there are problems at home, sometimes, the mother admits that she dismisses the children’s feelings, but the father comforts them. There are no conflicts between family members except for some misunderstanding when the mother starts to show her symptoms of depression.
The family members encounter no recent stressful events. However, the mother and the eldest daughter were highly attached to the mom’s grandmother, who passed away a year ago. As a result, the two often cry when witnessing an event related to the grandmother.
Functional Health Patterns
Strengths
Karaca (2016) characterized the health perception-health management pattern as the perception and action o...