TYPES, ROLES AND

FUNCTIONS, STRUCTURE
Topic Objectives:

After mastering the contents of this topic, the

students should be able to:
Describe family structure, function, and roles,
and ways that theses are changing.
Assess a family for structure and healthy
function.
Formulate nursing diagnosis related to family
health
Integrate knowledge of family nursing with
nursing process to promote quality maternal
and child health nursing care
FAMILY

“a group of people related by

blood, marriage, or adoption
living together.” [US Census Bureau
(2009)]
“two or more people who live in
the same household, share a
common emotional bond, and
perform certain interrelated
social tasks.” [Allender and Spradley
(2008)]
 Family

Two important elements

needed of a family:
 Structure
 Function
Two Basic Family Types:

Family of Orientation – the

family one is born into; or
oneself, mother, father, and
siblings
Family of Procreation – a
family one establishes; or
oneself, spouse or significant
other, and children
Two Basic Reasons for Getting
Married
Companionship
Sexual attraction
Protection
Social position or
prestige
Gratitude
Pity
Adventure
Common interests
Two Basic Reasons for Getting
Married

 To have
children
Types of
Families
 I. NUCLEAR
FAMILY
Definition: Married couple
that has kids. This is seen
as the “Traditional” family
NUCLEAR FAMILY

Benefits:
Both of your parents
under the same roof
Support and stability
Sharing responsibilities
Don’t have to deal with negative effects
of divorce
Can have relationship with both parents
NUCLEAR FAMILY

Challenges:
Being committed to
staying together
Making time for the
family
Finances/Paying Bills –
especially if only one
parent works
Dividing up chores
 II. COHABITATION FAMILY

Composed of heterosexual couples

and perhaps children who live
together but remained unmarried
Maybe temporary relationship but it
may also be as long-lasting and as
meaningful as a more traditional
alliance
Chosen by many couples as way of
getting to know a potential life
partner better before marriage
COHABITATION FAMILY

Statistically, however, couples

who cohabit before marriage have
a higher divorce rate than those
who do not
When in place, an effective
cohabitation arrangement offers
psychological comfort and
financial security similar to
marriage.
 III. POLYGAMOUS FAMILY

a marriage with multiple wives

can serve as the mark of a wealthy
man as wives cost money
with more than one wife having
children, it also increases the chance
that the marriage will produce a male
heir
problems that can arise are jealousy
and rivalry between wives because of
perceived favoritism
IV. SINGLE PARENT FAMILY
DEFINITION:
- One adult who is raising a child or children
due to divorce, death, or never had been
married
- Involves an adult head of the house with
dependent children.
SINGLE PARENT FAMILY

Benefits:
strong bond with
parent
no worries about
parents fighting
in the house
kids learn
responsibility,
become
independent and
often mature
faster
SINGLE PARENT FAMILY

Challenges:
one parent may have to work long
hours
less income / only one income
only have one adult in home and kids
are missing either the mom or dad that
is absent
less supervision for kids
stress on parent – children
difficulty going back and forth between
homes, different expectations, etc.
 V. BLENDED FAMILY
Definition:
 2 families join together

 usually by remarriage after

divorce or death of a spouse,

one or both may have
children.
BLENDED FAMILY
Benefits:
more people around to share the
chores
children are exposed to different
customs or culture
you have both a mom and a dad
under the same roof
possibly better financially
BLENDED FAMILY

Challenge
s:  Hard to
get used
 Hard to to new
adjusting to siblings
the new (sibling
parent rivalry)
Discipline Hard to
d by “step” bond as a
parent new
“family”
BLENDED FAMILY

Other Disadvantages:
Each parent may encounter
difficulties in helping rear the other's
children
Children may not welcome a
stepparent because they have not yet
resolved their feelings about the
separation of their biologic parents
Finances can be severely limited.
BLENDED FAMILY
 VI. EXTENDED FAMILY/
MULTIGENERATIONAL/ KIN
NETWORK

Definition: It is
composed of several
generations living
together. It could
include
grandparents,
aunts, uncles,
cousins.
EXTENDED FAMILY

Benefits:
More adult role models
More people to help out
around the house
Bonding with more family members
Activities going on
More supervision for children
Carrying on of traditions, culture,
customs through generations
Could provide financial help
EXTENDED
FAMILY

Challenges:
Less privacy – (crowded space, lots of
sharing)
Confusion about who is in charge (rules,
etc)
There could be a financial strain
Parents’ attention could be more divided
Some relationships may be difficult
(tough to get along all the time)
VII. ADOPTIVE FAMILY

Definition: Adult and

child not blood related,
but legally bound.
Methods of
Adoption:

Agency Adoption
International
Adoption
Private Adoption
 ADOPTIVE FAMILY

Benefits:
Cool to learn about
different cultures (if child
is from a different culture)
Possibly child is “rescued”
from foster care
Child “chosen” is wanted
Helps people who are
unable to have children
ADOPTIVE FAMILY

Challenges:
Expensive to adopt
Child may wonder about
past/family of origin/ culture, etc.
Child may have hurts associated
with family or origin
Adapting to new family, new
environment can be difficult on all
 VIII. CHILDLESS FAMILY/
DYAD FAMILY
Definition: Married couple
without kids
CHILDLESS FAMILY
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Benefits:
No expense of children
More freedom to do what couple
wants (travel, etc.)
Work on personal goals
More time for hobbies/interests
More time for friendships
outside the home
More time together as a couple
CHILDLESS FAMILY

Challenges:
Work can become all-consuming
May have conflict if one wants
children and the other doesn’t
Stress associated with fertility
issues (if wanting kids but unable)
Stress associated with not meeting
the “norm” in society
May have regrets when becomes
older and no kids/grandkids
 IX. DUAL CAREER FAMILY

Definition: Both parents work either

full time or part time - can be nuclear,
blended, extended
 The average dual-career couple works

away from their home a combined

18.2 hours a day.
 DUAL CAREER FAMILY
Benefits:
more finances and less
financial stress.
family may be able to travel
more and get more “things”.
children may be able to have
more opportunities that cost
money
kids learn to be independent
and do some of the house
jobs
DUAL CAREER FAMILY

Challenges:
Parents may be gone more and there may
be less supervision
Finding childcare can be difficult
Husband/wife may struggle to balance work
and home (shopping, discipline, chores, etc.)
One spouse often feels overburdened
Family is very busy
When home, parents may be tired and
stress from work may spill over to home
They may miss out on some of their kids
“things”
 X. SINGLE LIVING/GROUP OF
FRIENDS/ COMMUNAL FAMILY
Definition: Several people living together;
living alone or with one or more other
single person; sharing resources, caring
for each other, having fun together.
 SINGLE LIVING/GROUP OF
FRIENDS

Benefits:
Sharing bills, rent, etc. (less strain
financially)
Sharing household jobs
Support of roommates/ friends
Can move out (freedom to make a
change)
If by yourself: you have time alone,
freedom to come and go, no one to
answer to, independence
SINGLE LIVING/GROUP OF FRIEND

Challenges:
Different opinions about how things are
to be done
Sharing household jobs
Financial stress (dividing up bills, rent,
etc)
Annoying habits of roommate
If by yourself: loneliness, financial stress,
paying all bills, doing all housework, etc.
XI. GAY OR LESBIAN FAMILY

Homosexual unions
Individuals of the same sex
live together as partners for
companionship, financial
security, and sexual fulfilment
 XII. FOSTER FAMILY

Foster home replacement is

theoretically temporary until children
can be returned to their own parents
If return is impossible, children,
unfortunately may be raised to
adulthood in foster care
Such children can experience almost
constant insecurity, concerned that
soon they will have to move again
 XIII. BINUCLEAR FAMILY

One in which a separation or

divorce of the adult partners occurs,
but both parents continue to
assume a high level of child rearing
responsibilities
Joint custody arrangements are
especially useful in which separated
parents continue to live in close
proximity to one another.
FAMILY FUNCTIONS
AND ROLES
I. FAMILY TASKS [Duvall and Miller (1990)]

Physical maintenance: A healthy

family provides foods, shelter,
clothing, health care, and resources
for a new and ill member
Socialization of family
members: Preparing children to
live in the community and to
interact with people outside the
family
Allocation of resources:
Justification, consistency, and
fairness in the distribution of
resources (material goods,
affection and space)
Maintenance of order:
Establishing family values,
establishing rules about expected
family responsibilities and roles,
and enforcing common
regulations for family members
Division of labor: Healthy
families evenly divide the work
load among members and are
flexible enough that they can
change work loads as needed.
 Reproduction, recruitment,
and release of family
members:
Placement of members into
the larger society: Healthy
families realize that they do not
have to operate alone but can
reach out to other families or
their community.
Maintenance of motivation
and morale: Healthy families
are able to maintain a sense of
unity and pride in the family.
II. FAMILY LIFE CYCLES

STAGE 1: Marriage
Establish a mutually
satisfying relationship
Learn to relate well to their

families of orientation
Engage in reproductive life

planning (if applicable)

STAGE 2: The Early
Childbearing Family
Important nursing care:
Health education about well-

child care and how to

integrate a new member into
a family
STAGE 3: The Family With a
Preschool Child

STAGE 4: The Family With a

School-Age Child

STAGE 5: The Family With an

Adolescent
STAGE 6: The Launching Stage
Family: The Family
With a Young Adult
STAGE 7: The Family of Middle
Years
STAGE 8: The Family in
Retirement or Older
Age
III. Changing Patterns of Family
Life

1. Increasing Mobility Patterns

An area with many maternal
and child health care facilities
may find itself with few women
and children to use them in the
future; conversely, areas with
many women and children may
find few nearby facilities.
2. Changing Cultural Patterns
oKnowing some of the basic norms
and taboos of different cultural
groups is important as it allows
you to understand and accept
different practices of families

3. Increasing Poverty
4. Reducing Government Aid
Programs
5. Increasing numbers of Homeless
Families
6. Increasing Divorce Rate
7. Decreasing Family Size
8. Increasing Dual-Parent
Employment
9. Increasing Family
Responsibility for Health
Monitoring
10. Increasing Technology
11. Increasing Obesity, Reduced
Exercise, and Fast Foods
12. Increasing Abuse in Families
ASSESSMENT OF FAMILY
STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION
The Well Family

Assessment Measures:
Genogram – a diagram that
details family structure, provides
information about the family’s
history and the roles of various
family members over time
Family APGAR – a screening
tool of the family environment
The Well Family

Ecomap – a diagram of family

and community relationships;
helps assess the emotional
support available to a family from
the community. Families that “fit”
well into their community usually
have many outside circles or
community contracts
- END -