How Substance Problems Affect the Family Unit

Author(s):  
Dennis C. Daley ◽  
Antoine Douaihy

A family unit is a system in which various parts have an impact on other parts. This chapter looks at how families, concerned others, and friends are affected by a loved one’s SUD. Any family member may be hurt by a loved one with an SUD. The effects may vary among families and among members within the same family, but emotional pain and disruption of family life are common. Attention often centers on the member with the SUD, while overall family pain and distress are ignored. Individuals with SUDs often “underfunction,” which means that other members of the family have to pick up the slack and “overfunction.” This dynamic may change how family members communicate or relate to one another. The effects on families vary from mild to severe—in which a family is torn apart by an SUD.

Author(s):  
Amber Glatt

This paper will look at how the death of an immediate family member affects the surviving family members, as well as how it impacts the family structure. The death of a parent, the death of a spouse, the death of a child, and the death of a sibling will all be examined and compared to see how these different situations impact different members of the family. Variables such as age, gender, and relation to the deceased turn out to be important predictive factors in how an individual copes with the loss. The family structure must be reorganized after the loss of one of its members, but how families go about this restructuring differs immensely. How the family is restructured has major implications for how the family is able function after the death. Learning how both individuals and family units grieve the loss of an immediate family member and examining the differences, can lead to a better understanding of what grieving processes are the most effective.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangeline Bonisiwe Zungu

The polygynous nature of most marriages in isiZulu-speaking societies, the fact that co-wives do not get along, and the presence of jealousy, envy and fighting in households such as these are underlying major causes of friction within Zulu family units. These feuds become undercurrents of tensions and fracture within the family unit and lead to family members suspecting and accusing each other of practising witchcraft when a family member dies. In such instances, the use of penthonyms is an extremely useful channel of expressing discontent or passing criticism. This article will use data collected from kwaMambulu to assess the extent to which this age-old practice around name bestowal in isiZulu-speaking family structures such as these is still enforced. It argues that despite changes brought by Christianity, Western modernity and recently the post-apartheid period, modalities around name bestowal in a number of isiZulu-speaking communities still persist. The kwaMambulu community continues to reflect the undented epistemologies around name-giving in much of the tradition-based African households. Allegations of the practice of witchcraft and sorcery are always alluded to in this society when death strikes. When the parents suffer the misfortune of losing children, they resort to giving penthonyms. Penthonyms are given to male children because they are believed to be the future of the family. The male children protect the family and when the man of the house dies the male children take over family matters.  


Author(s):  
Joanna L. Grossman ◽  
Lawrence M. Friedman

This chapter deals with the complexities of succession, specifically in the ways money is shared with other members of the family. Family members not only earn money from work; some family members also inherit money from dead relatives, or get gifts from living ones. Other members give money away, during their lifetimes, or after death. Parents obviously have to pay for everything their children need, and grown children sometimes support old, sick, and destitute parents. When a family member dies, typically they leave whatever money or assets remain to members of the family. And while books, law school curricula, and legal practice treat family law and the law of succession as entirely different subjects, this chapter deals away with those distinctions in order to reveal how these subjects impact family life and family law.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110244
Author(s):  
Júlia Camargo Contessa ◽  
Carolina Stopinski Padoan ◽  
Jéssica Leandra Gonçalves da Silva ◽  
Pedro V. S. Magalhães

The suicide of a loved one can be a traumatic experience. The objective of this study was to investigate trauma-related experiences of suicide survivors. This is a qualitative study with people who had recently lost a family member or a close one to suicide, conducted at least two months after the event. Forty-one participants agreed to take part in the study and were interviewed. The interviewees' perception was that suicide brought harm, symptoms, and suffering. Traumatic experiences can begin immediately after the event, with many reporting symptoms lasting many months and persistent impact, both personal and to the family. Postvention models after suicide should incorporate such findings, and investigate trauma consistently.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne A. Elsner ◽  
Sam S. Salek ◽  
Andrew Y. Finlay ◽  
Anna Hagemeier ◽  
Catherine J. Bottomley ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Family Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16) assesses the impact of a patient’s chronic illness on the quality of life (QoL) of the patient’s partner or family members. The aim of the study was to translate, explore the structure of and validate the FROM-16. Methods The questionnaire was translated from English into German (forward, backward, four independent translators). Six interviews with family members were conducted to confirm the questionnaire for linguistic, conceptual, semantic and experiential equivalence and its practicability. The final German translation was tested for internal consistency, reproducibility and test validity. Criterion validity was tested by correlating the scores of the FROM-16 and the Global Health Scale (GHS). Principal component analysis, factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the questionnaire’s structure and its domains. Reliability and reproducibility were tested computing the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using one sample t-test for testing the hypothesis that the difference between the scores was not different from zero. Results Overall, 83 family members (61% female, median age: 61 years) completed the questionnaire at two different times (mean interval: 22 days). Internal consistency was good for the FROM-16 scores (Cronbach’s α for total score = 0.86). In those with stable GHS, the ICC for the total score was 0.87 and the difference was not different from zero (p = 0.262) indicating reproducible results. A bi-factor model with a general factor including all items, and two sub-factors comprising the items from the original 2-factor construct had the best fit. Conclusions The German FROM-16 has good reliability, test validity and practicability. It can be considered as an appropriate and generic tool to measure QoL of a patient’s partner or family member. Due to the presence of several cross-loadings we do not recommend the reporting of the scores of the two domains proposed for the original version of FROM-16 when using the German version. Thus, in reporting the results emphasis should be put on the total score. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered: DRKS00021070.


2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie T. Nolan ◽  
Mark T. Hughes ◽  
Joan Kub ◽  
Peter B. Terry ◽  
Alan Astrow ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:Several studies have reported high levels of distress in family members who have made health care decisions for loved ones at the end of life. A method is needed to assess the readiness of family members to take on this important role. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure family member confidence in making decisions with (conscious patient scenario) and for (unconscious patient scenario) a terminally ill loved one.Methods:On the basis of a survey of family members of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) enriched by in-depth interviews guided by Self-Efficacy Theory, we developed six themes within family decision making self-efficacy. We then created items reflecting these themes that were refined by a panel of end-of-life research experts. With 30 family members of patients in an outpatient ALS and a pancreatic cancer clinic, we tested the tool for internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha and for consistency from one administration to another using the test–retest reliability assessment in a subset of 10 family members. Items with item to total scale score correlations of less than .40 were eliminated.Results:A 26-item scale with two 13-item scenarios resulted, measuring family self-efficacy in decision making for a conscious or unconscious patient with a Cronbach's alphas of .91 and .95, respectively. Test–retest reliability was r = .96, p = .002 in the conscious senario and r = .92, p = .009 in the unconscious scenario.Significance of results:The Family Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale is valid, reliable, and easily completed in the clinic setting. It may be used in research and clinical care to assess the confidence of family members in their ability to make decisions with or for a terminally ill loved one.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136749352110399
Author(s):  
Stephanie Allen ◽  
Stephen K Bradley ◽  
Eileen Savage

Parent programmes are often used in the clinical management of children with ADHD. Research into parent programmes has predominantly been concerned with their effectiveness and much less attention has been paid to the impact that they may be having on the family and the inter-relationships between family members. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of parents of children with ADHD, who participated in a parent programme, including its impact on the family unit. A purposive sample of six mothers of children with ADHD who completed a 1-2-3 Magic parent programme in Ireland was invited to take part in this qualitative study. Data were collected by means of individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews and a narrative inquiry approach further informed analysis of the interview data. Two major narrative constructions of experience: ‘parent programme as positive’ and ‘parent programme as negative’ were identified. Outcomes from this study illustrated some unintended consequences caused by the parent programme (i.e. sibling rivalry and conflict arising between family members). Mothers believed that the parent programme was a beneficial intervention, but it was not without its flaws and they felt it was helpful for their family when used in conjunction with other supports and mediations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Tanel Feldman ◽  
Marco Mazzeschi

Rights of residence derived from a durable relationship with an EU citizen, are left to a relatively wide discretion of the Member States. Pursuant to Article 2.2 (b) Directive 2004/38/EC (“Directive”), “the partner with whom the Union citizen has contracted a registered partnership, on the basis of the legislation of a Member State, if the legislation of the host Member State treats registered partnerships as equivalent to marriage and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the relevant legislation of the host Member State” qualifies as family member. Provided that they have a durable relationship (duly attested) with an EU citizen, pursuant to Article 3.2(b), unregistered partners are as well beneficiaries of the Directive. The durable relationship was expressly excluded from the scope of Article 2(2)(b): “Unlike the amended proposal, it does not cover de facto durable relationships” (EU Commission, Document 52003SC1293). Article 3 (2)(a) covers “other family members” (no restrictions as to the degree of relatedness) if material support is provided by the EU citizen or by his partner or where serious health grounds strictly require the personal care of the family member by the Union citizen. Pursuant to Article 3.2, “other family members” and unregistered partners can attest a durable relationship, must be facilitated entry and residence, in accordance to the host Member State’s national legislation. In the light of Preamble 6 Directive, the situation of the persons who are not included in the definition of family members, must be considered “in order to maintain the unity of the family in a broader sense”. The questions discussed in this paper are the following: (i) are Member States genuinely considering the concept of durable relationship in view of maintaining the unity of the family in a broader sense? and (ii) how to overcome legal uncertainty and which criteria, both at EU and at international level, can be taken into account in order to assess whether a durable relationship is genuine and should be granted the rights set forth by the Directive?


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-747
Author(s):  
Clarie Breen ◽  
Jenny Krutzinna ◽  
Katre Luhamaa ◽  
Marit Skivenes

Abstract This paper examines what set of familial circumstances allow for the justifiable interference with the right to respect for family life under Article 8, echr. We analyse all the Courts’ judgments on adoptions from care to find out what the Court means by a “family unit” and the “child´s best interest”. Our analysis show that the status and respect of the child’s de facto family life is changing. This resonates with a view that children do not only have formal rights, but that they are recognised as individuals within the family unit that states and courts must address directly. Family is both biological parents and child relationships, as well between children and foster parents, and to a more limited extent between siblings themselves. The Court’s understanding of family is in line with the theoretical literature, wherein the concept of family reflects the bonds created by personal, caring relationships and activities.


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