FAMILY ASSESSMENT RESEARCH PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

This clinical assignment focuses on the family system and all the subsystems that affect the family, how the family unit copes, and how the nurse can help the family maintain a state of equilibrium. In your text is an outline of the Calgary Model and how it helps in the interviewing and assessment of the family. Using this model as a guideline choose a family you know to help you complete this assignment; these should not be your own family. Be sure the family is well in that they are not dealing with a newly diagnosed chronic or acute illness. Families with long-standing chronic illnesses, such as controlled hypertension or diabetes, are acceptable. Do not choose a family with acute problems including acute psychiatric illnesses.

Contact the family and explain the project you need to complete and if they are willing to participate. Set up a meeting time to speak with family members who would be most helpful with this project. Have questions prepared concerning all of the subsystems that affect families including ethnic backgrounds, working status of family members, education, etc.  You may need to meet with the family more than once. Using the family assessment summary in your text, complete a family assessment.

This assessment must include content on all of the subsystems discussed in class this semester as well as a genogram, a list of family diagnoses including strengths and problems (stressors) related to each diagnosis. Students will need to summarize their project by explaining how the family members and the family unit cope with any problems that may arise; are they able to maintain a state of equilibrium or are they having difficulty maintaining a functional system?  What could be done to improve or help with coping with the identified problems? Could some of the coping mechanisms of one family help another family if similar problems exist?

Beyond the textbook, students should search for additional resources to help explain the subsystems of the families; for example, their response to illness may be based on cultural background or religious beliefs. Find resources to support this and explain fully.

This project should have a minimum of 10 resources in addition to the course textbook.

This project should be written in a narrative format with appropriate headings to identify each required section. A Safe Assign folder will be available for its submission.

SAMPLE PAPER

Family Description

The Presley’s family is a monogamous family consisting of a father (BS) who is 40 years old, a mother (JP) who is 36 years and five children, MP, AP, IP, ES and JS who are 16, 13, 10, 18 and 14 years old respectively. The mother JP is the biological parent of three of the five children MP, AP and IP from her previous marriage. She ended the marriage in a divorce citing infidelity and violence as the major reason. Her spouse LP is currently 50 years and has another family though he has no other child. The spouse, LP rarely visits his children and has a distant relationship with them. The stepfather of the three children, BS, has two children from his previous marriage with his spouse TS. Their marriage ended as a result of infidelity, excessive alcohol use and drug abuse from his wife. He was granted the custody of the kid since his divorced wife was deemed unfit to take care of the children. BS children ES and JS have never seen their mother since their parents separated. The Smith family came into being following the union between JP and BS five years ago. These two met at their place of work and fell in love leading to their marriage.

BS works as an accountant in a pharmaceutical firm. He is the sole provider of the family and has the duty of availing the finances needed in the management of most of the family’s needs and investments. His dad is late, and mother has been living with a disability following her involvement in an accident. BS, therefore, has the responsibility of taking care of his mother since he is her only child. The mother, JP works as a shop attendant in one of the fast-food joints in town. Apart from taking care of the family, JP also takes care of her mother who is retired due to some disability. She receives support from her two siblings who work in another state, to take care of her mother. JP has developed a strong bond with her mother since they stay in the same neighborhood.

The children relate well with each other, though the three children’s biological children of BP, (MP, AP, and IP) have a strong bond, and find it difficult to relate well with the youngest child of their stepfather JS. ES, the oldest son of BS does not stay at home; he is in college and works part-time as a library assistant. ES has a strong bond with his sister JS and equally has loose bonds with his other three siblings. The two biological children of BS had reported indifferences with their step-mother; however, the other three biological children of JP did not show any significant indifference with their step-father. JS is planning to move out of the house indicating that the environment is not conducive for her due to the indifferences she has with her step-mother.

Generally, the family is described as divided due to the indifferences that BS children have with their step-mother. The parents are also more focused on their work than handling and addressing family issues. JS stated that “I would like us to get together as a family to air and address our issues”. This has proven difficult since dad is always not around when he comes; he does for a few minutes that you cannot discuss anything for an extended period. The extended family is not in close interaction with the basic family unit. The strongest bond is between the grandmother RL and her son BS and between the grandmother TR and her daughter JP. The other siblings of JP only visit the family occasionally .