Introduction
In order to provide a high-quality family health assessment, it is of paramount importance to develop an exhaustive interview structure. According to the researchers, the collection of relevant family health data serves as a foundation for further intervention assessment, as it helps in terms of risk anticipation and treatment patterns (Ginsburg, Wu, & Orlando, 2019). Another asset of the family health assessment is the investigation of current patterns of communication within a family and its potential impact on health outcomes. Hence, in terms of the present paper, a family was interviewed with the help of the questionnaire presented in Appendix A. The answers recorded will be then analyzed on the matter of the family’s structure, functional health patterns, challenges, and the possible benefits of the family systems theory implementation.
Family Health Assessment
Family Overview
The family chosen in terms of the assessment agreed to fill in the questionnaire without mentioning their names. Hence, when speaking of family structure, the unit consists of four members: a 39-year-old mother, a 42-year-old father, and two daughters – 14 and 19 years old. The father is Filipino, and the mother is Caucasian, and none of them perceives themselves as religious people, though they admit believing in the existence of God. The girls both claim to be atheists, but there are no disputes on the matter in the family. Currently, the mother works as a salesperson in a local pharmaceutical company, and the dad has recently quit the office job in order to become a freelance consultant. Older daughter studies at college and has a freelance job as a graphic designer, so the family’s social status may be defined as upper-middle-class. The overall family’s environment is rather difficult to describe, as the daughters are surrounded by different kinds of young adults both at college and at school, whereas their emotional state remains vulnerable.
Family Health
When speaking of family health, the overall picture should be defined as satisfactory at the moment yet alarming in the long-term perspective. What is meant by that is the fact the current family health does not represent any serious challenges, and all the members feel no discomfort with their health patterns. However, recently, with the change of working environment and a higher level of stress, the family has poor eating and exercise habits. The children do not have proper rest and sleep due to the workload at school. All the family members acknowledge their dependence on caffeine to function properly. Moreover, the father’s family has a history of diabetes and hypertension.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The current family lifestyle has two major strengths in terms of functional health patterns. First, the mother is responsible for regular medical check-ups in order to identify health issues early. Even since their older daughter moved to the college dormitory, the mother continued to make sure that she was diagnosed at the local medical facility. Second, all the family members do physical exercise, as they have a family gym membership. However, lately, high levels of stress and workload have affected physical activity patterns.
On the other hand, major health barriers include mental health deterioration, disruption of healthy nutrition patterns, and predisposition to such chronic dysfunctions as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Moreover, when speaking of the interaction within a family, it should be outlined that the family does not feel as bound as before. The younger daughter has recently started to distance herself, whereas the father feels rather stressed since changing the environment and working from home with no sustainable profit.
Family Systems Theory Implementation
In order to define the extent to which systemic family theory may be beneficial for the chosen family, it is necessary to dwell on the theory’s definition. Thus, in the context of the family systems theory, a family unit is regarded as an emotional system, a relationship within which tends to highly influence each member’s individual health state (Erdem & Safi, 2018). Hence, regarding this concept, it may be outlined that the communicative constituent is of paramount importance in terms of the individual’s self-perception of and aspirations to stay healthy for longer.
When speaking of the family interviewed, it becomes evident that the overall rates of health self-perception are rather disrupted within the family, as family members do not identify themselves as mentally and physically healthy. As a result, it may be outlined that the implementation of proper emotional interaction between individuals would positively influence the overall family health condition (Alegre & Benson, 2019). Indeed, the family has no significant socio-economic issues limiting their perception of health, but the health risks started evolving after the members started distancing themselves emotionally from each other. Considering the interaction patterns in the family, the mother is the one taking the most responsibility for communication, so she should be encouraged to start the dialogue about the stress factors tackling the relationship.
Conclusion
In the past years, the notion of family health assessment has become one of the most significant aspects in terms of the evaluation of the individual’s health. Hence, when identifying the intervention plan, it is necessary to dwell on such factors as family habits and emotional state in order to draw appropriate conclusions. The family assessed in terms of the paper resulted in satisfactory rates of functional health, but the tendency seemed to deteriorate over the past months due to stress. Thus, in the context of the family systems theory, the mother should be advised to communicate with the family in terms of emotional support.
References
Alegre, A., & Benson, M. J. (2019). Family warmth, self-perception, social competence, and friendships in emerging adulthood. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 36(2), 75-81. Web.
Erdem, G., & Safi, O. A. (2018). The cultural lens approach to Bowen family systems theory: Contributions of family change theory. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(2), 469-483. Web.
Ginsburg, G. S., Wu, R. R., & Orlando, L. A. (2019). Family health history: Underused for actionable risk assessment. The Lancet, 394(10198), 596-603. Web.
Appendix A. Family Health Questionnaire
Values/ Health Perception
What is your family’s definition of health?
Family defines health as a state of physical well-being yet does not mention the mental constituent.
How do you ensure health promotion within a family?
The mother is responsible for the family’s regular medical check-ups, as she believes it is the key to maintaining good health.
Which aspect of health do you consider to be the most important for your family?
The family pays much attention the cardiac health, as all of them acknowledge the history of chronic heart conditions in the family and the amount of caffeine intake.
Nutrition
How would you define a perfect pattern of family nutrition?
Having a balanced diet including protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
What kind of food is the most widespread in terms of nutrition in your family?
The family usually dines with grilled or stewed meat and vegetables. Lately, the family intakes much take-out food.
Do you think that your family’s diet is healthy? If no, what are the major challenges in your food patterns?
Eating junk food is regarded as a major challenge. Prior to the tendency, the family described their nutrition patterns as healthy.
Sleep/Rest
How many hours a day do you usually sleep?
The mother and the father usually sleep for 6 hours a day (8 hours on the weekends), The daughters sleep 4-5 hours a day due to the workload.
Does anyone in your family have a problem with falling asleep or waking up? Are you aware of the possible reasons for such dysfunction?
There are no evident issues, but the family members have difficulty waking up, caused by chronic fatigue.
How do you usually spend your leisure?
Lately, the family members spend much time on passive rest, as they feel exhausted.
Elimination
Does anyone in your family have issues with urinary patterns and frequency?
No issues were indicated.
Do you have a family history concerning the issues with a bowel movement?
No issues were indicated.
Does anyone in your family have a bladder dysfunction?
No issues were indicated.
Activity/Exercise
During a week, how often do you exercise?
Previously, the family exercised at least three times a week. Lately, physical activity was reduced drastically.
What is your idea of a beneficial physical activity?
Gym activities, jogging, PE lessons for children.
What kind of exercise does your family actually prefer?
The father prefers strength training, the mother and the children prefer aerobics and power-stretching.
Cognitive
What education level do your family members have?
The parents are college graduates, the older daughter is receiving her degree, the younger daughter is a high school freshman.
Do your kids face challenges in the process of studying (e.g., do they fall behind in many classes?)
The kids have no evident issues with academics.
Does your family have a history of cognitive impairment?
No issues were indicated.
Sensory-Perception
Does anyone in your family have poor senses?
The older daughter is nearsighted, and the issue emerged when she was 16
Does your family have a history of struggles with hearing and eyesight?
No issues were indicated.
How frequently do you visit an otolaryngologist?
The family visits the specialist during regular check-ups every couple of months.
Self-Perception
How would you describe the self-esteem rates in your family?
Lately, everyone in the family seems insecure due to stress and lack of support.
Does everyone have the ability to objectively assess their strengths?
At the moment, the ability is distorted, as family members tend to undermine the significance of their achievements.
Do you have a habit of making long-term plans for the family, including health planning?
Long-term planning is now challenging since the father quit a full-time job.
Role Relationship
How would you describe your marital relationship and relationship between the generations?
The overall relationship is good, but lately, the family experiences significant distancing.
Are there any rules established in your family as far as health is concerned?
There is a rule of mandatory check-ups.
How frequently do you experience struggles in communication within the family?
Lately, the struggles are experienced almost every day.
Sexuality
Does your family have a history of sexual dysfunction or disorders?
No issues were indicated.
Is sexuality an acceptable topic for you to discuss within a family?
The family feels comfortable discussing the topic within the family.
What is the current level of sex education in your family?
The children are educated both at home and school.
Coping
How often do you experience stressful situations both within and outside the family?
The level of stress is extremely high.
What are the strategies for coping with challenging situations in your family?
The family members explicitly practice meditation, but the strategy’s efficiency has been decreased lately.
How do you think stress impacts your health status?
The family realizes that the issues may be connected yet underestimates the scope of the impact.