Table of contents:
- Protective resources of families
- Method that was carried out
- The tests that were applied
- Results obtained from the investigation
- More results obtained from the study
- Social support
- Families have adaptive resources
- Types of supports
- Instrumental support
- The availability of social support in families
- Conclusions
By Idarmis González Benitez. February 20, 2018
For a long time, attention to the family was centered on the disease, directing actions towards diagnosis and treatment. The presence of family events was conceived as a traumatic experience, a crisis trigger, conceived as a potentiator of family health problems. At present, with salutogenic models, this conception is modified, the family is beginning to be seen with the natural ability to resist and rebuild despite the experience of adversity (Castillo, 2010).
In the investigations carried out, it was found that some of the families that experienced traumatic situations did not develop alterations in family health. It is undeniable that most families, faced with normative and para-normative events, are capable of learning and benefiting from the experience, depending on the coping process.
In this Online Psychology article we are going to discover adaptive resources in events in family life.
You may also be interested in: Family support: significant events in family life Index- Protective resources of families
- Method that was carried out
- Results obtained from the investigation
- More results obtained from the study
- Social support
- Families have adaptive resources
- Types of supports
- Instrumental support
- The availability of social support in families
- Conclusions
Protective resources of families
There are families that have had effective coping with stressful events and circumstances in family life. The family has the ability to adapt and resist life events with surprising strength, managing to overcome the situation and emerge stronger (Walsh, 2004).
Martínez (2003) defines the “protective resources” of the family, as the conditions or environments capable of favoring the development of individuals or groups and, in many cases, reducing the effects of unfavorable circumstances.
These resources are characteristics that exist in families that operate to mitigate the negative effects of events and protect family health.
The purpose of the research is to evaluate adaptive resources and social support, as protective resources against the occurrence of normative and para-normative events. To fulfill this objective, two instruments were applied: the Family Adaptive Resources Assessment Test and the Family Social Support Test.
Method that was carried out
A descriptive and cross-sectional investigation was carried out that was applied in the provinces of Havana and Ciego de Ávila. The family was used as the unit of analysis. The population studied was 728 families, 345 families with experiences of normative events and 383 with experiences of para-normative events.
Among the normative events, those that were considered the most significant of each stage of the life cycle were selected. Marriage, within the formation stage, and widowhood, in the dissolution stage, as they are the ones that start and close the family life cycle. In the intermediate stages, the birth of the first child and adolescence were chosen, in the extension stage; and retirement and old age in the contraction stage because they are all of great importance in the development of the family and imply important changes in family life.
The paranormal events were studied in the category of dismemberment (divorce and untimely death) and three corresponding to those related to health (infertility, suicide attempt and alcoholism) and in the category demoralization and incarceration.
Death and divorce were considered the most significant due to dismemberment due to the affectation they impose on the structure of the family system, while the selection of those related to health was due to the high incidence of suicide attempts, cases of alcoholism and couples infertile patients who requested specialized assistance.
The tests that were applied
The Family Adaptive Resources Assessment Test and the Family Social Support Test were applied, designed and validated by the research author (Herrera and González 2002).
- The Family Adaptive Resources Assessment Test measures family permeability and flexibility, behavioral changes in family members, family abilities to solve problems, attribution of positive meaning to the problem, dexterity for conflict resolution and changes in family communication patterns
- The Family Social Support Test explores the frequency of support received, the type of support, the most used support networks, the perception that the family has about the availability of support and the satisfaction with it.
The application was carried out in a way directed to the family by an interviewer, during a direct home visit for each instrument, trying to ensure that the answer was given on the basis of a family consensus, understanding as such the opinion of at least two members of the family, including among them the head of the family nucleus, who will be the person with the greatest decision-making power within the family and whose advice, guidance and opinions are taken into account by the rest of the members.
The data were organized, classified and analyzed, using absolute frequencies and percentage analysis, which were presented in tables. The tables were made in Excel. We worked with a Statistical Program for the Social Sciences, in addition to using the SPSS software.
Results obtained from the investigation
All the normative events studied in the different stages of the evolutionary cycle had sufficient adaptive resources, marriage (91.4%), the birth of the first child (92.5%), adolescence (72%), retirement (64.3%), old age (74.1%). The widowhood event (50%) was the one with the lowest adaptive resources. (See Graph 1: Adaptive resources of families in normative events).
The paranormal events that had sufficient adaptive resources were divorce with 67.5%, death with 58.6% and imprisonment with 64.9% respectively.
In alcoholism, infertility and suicide attempt, resources were insufficient (73.3%, 61.9%, 60%, 50.9% respectively), not finding a total absence of resources in any of the events. (See Graph 2: Adaptive resources of families in paranormal events).
There are significant differences (P <0.05) between events and adaptive resources that families have. Paranormative events have fewer adaptive resources than normative events, this difference being statistically significant (p <0.05)
In normative events, the type of social support received most frequently was emotional, at the birth of the first child(62.5%), adolescence (91.5%), retirement (77.1%), old age (62.1%) and widowhood (64%). Marriage is the only one that receives less emotional support (38.6%). The instruments were received to some extent in marriage (67.1%), the birth of the first child (50%) and in retirement (52.9%). To a greater extent in widowhood (60%) and in old age (46.5%). Adolescence was the event that received no instrumental support. The families studied receive the newsletter in marriage (72.9%), the birth of the first child (75%), and (78.1%) in adolescence. In the events that appear at the end of the family life cycle, this type of support begins to decrease. As happens in retirement (44.3%), old age (39.6%), in the case of widowhood only one (40%) receives some type of information.
The only event that received much spiritual support was old age with (54.3%). The rest of the normative events received little spiritual support, marriage (78.6%), the birth of the first child (95%), adolescence (95.2%), retirement (42.8%) and 62% widowhood.
In paranormative events, the type of social support received was emotional, death (92.9%), infertility (80.7%), suicide attempt (71.4%), divorce (61%) and incarceration (68.3%) and the informative in the suicide attempt (97.6), death (91.4%), infertility (87.7%) and incarceration (46.7%), except in the alcoholism event where a deficit is appreciated important of social support in most of its manifestations, in the case of the news program it receives (66.7%), this may be given by the actions that are exercised in the health instances in the control of diseases. We see that instrumental support was little used by the studied families, while spiritual support was received in the suicide attempt where in (42.8%) and incarceration (58.8%).
Spiritual support was received to a greater extent by suicide attempt (42.8%) and incarceration in some (55.8%).
More results obtained from the study
There is no statistically significant relationship between the types of events and emotional and instrumental support. The emotional support received (p = 0.334> 0.05) and the instrumental support (p = 0.65> 0.05) is homogeneous in both types of events, according to the X2 test. No relationship is observed between emotional and instrumental support and the type of normative or para-normative event. In both events , affection, understanding and material and instrumental help are always necessary in the face of crises.
There is a statistically significant relationship (p <0.05) between the events and the informational and spiritual support received. The difference between informational support (p <0.05) and spiritual support (p <0.05) received in normative and para-normative events is significant. The para-normative events received more informational and spiritual support, due to the high impact it has on families.
In normative events, in general, the social support received was frequent in most of them, birth of the first child 47.5%, adolescence 59.8%, retirement 74.5%, old age 58.6% and widowhood 54%. received little support was marriage 60%.
In Paranormative events, the support received was infrequent in alcoholism (88.4%), in divorce (61.9%) and incarceration, it was only frequent in infertility (46.6%), death (54, 3%) and suicide attempt (57.1%); and families were seen who did not receive any support in the event of alcoholism.
There is a statistically significant difference (p <0.05) between the different types of events with respect to the frequency of social support received. Normative events received greater support.
In the normative events, the main support networks used by the families were: firstly, the family in which they lived together, secondly, other relatives living outside the home and, thirdly, the couple, followed by health institutions. The marriage event had as its main support networks: the own family 80%, the family outside the home 84.3%, the couple 80%, co-workers 71.4% and friends 68.6%. The birth of the first child had the own family 100%, the family outside the home 50%, the couple 100%, the health institutions 92.5% and the friends 72.5%.
Adolescence showed as main sources: the family itself 97.6%, the family outside the home 86.7%, the partner 85.4%, neighbors 76.9%, health institutions 73%, coworkers 67% and friends 81.8%. The retirement event included 100% of the family itself, the rest of the family 82.9%, the couple 67.1% and friends 45.7%. The presence of old age in the family had as its main source of support the family itself 100%, the rest of the family 91.4%, neighbors 81% and health institutions 79.3%. Widows counted on their own family 60%, the family outside the home 70%, neighbors 100% and health institutions 80% and friends 86%. (See Graph 3: Main social support networks in normative events).
In paranormative events we see that of the main support networks used by families (divorce 92.2%, suicide attempt 100%, imprisonment 93.5% and alcoholism 63.3%). The couple was the main source of support in infertility (100%), suicide attempt (90.4%) and (85%) in alcoholism. Health institutions were important sources for infertility (94.7%) and for suicide attempt 100%. (See Graph 4: Main social support networks in para-normative events).
Social support
In normative events, we find that the availability of support is always present in most of them. Marriage 54.35, the birth of the first child 55%, adolescence 43.9 and retirement 44.2%.
In the events that appear at the end of the evolutionary cycle, those who cannot always have social support, old age 51.7% and widowhood 78%, precisely because of the losses of the partner, family, friends and work colleagues. (See Graph 5: Availability of social support in normative events).
In paranormative events, the availability of support was found to be absent in the alcoholism event. Availability in divorce 44.1%, in death 45%, in suicide attempt 47.6%, in infertility 43.8% and in incarceration 42.9%, absent in alcoholism. In infertility, divorce, death and suicide attempts, the possibility of receiving help from families was always present (43.8%, 44.1%, 45.7% and 47.6%).
The normative events of the first stages of the evolutionary cycle, families perceive adequate support availability (marriage 54.3%, birth of the first child 55%, adolescence 43.9%), while in the later stages it begins to decrease, in retirement 44.2%, old age 34.4% and widowhood 14%.
The behavior of availability in the para-normative was lower than in the normative ones, divorce 44.1%, death 45.7%, suicide attempt 47.6%, infertility 43.8%, incarceration 42.9 and in the case of alcoholism it was 0%.
There are significant differences (P <0.05) between the events in relation to the availability of social support. Normative events were more widely available than paranormal events and this difference is statistically significant (p <0.05).
All the families studied that presented normative events were satisfied with the support received. Marriage in 68.6%, the birth of the first child in 57.5%, adolescence 73.15%, retirement 58.5%, old age 53.4% and widowhood 90%.
In the infertility, divorce, death, and incarceration events, families were satisfied with the support received (52%, 57.1%, 58.6%, and 57.1%) and in suicide attempt very satisfied (71.4%). In alcoholism, satisfaction with the support received is the lowest 6.7%.
If there is a significant difference (P <0.05) between the events regarding satisfaction with the support received. The difference between normative and paranormal events in the level of satisfaction with the support received is statistically significant (P <0.05). The families that went through the normative events felt greater satisfaction with the social support received.
Families have adaptive resources
The results obtained in the measurement of the behavior of the adaptive resources in the normative events show that all the events studied had sufficient adaptive resources in the families to face the crises that could trigger the different events throughout the evolutionary cycle.
Previous experiences with normative events are passed from one generation to another. The ability to learn is maintained throughout life. Learning, acquired from previous experiences, allows the continuity and stability of the family, facilitating the assimilation of change and readjustment of functions.
We agree with Molinari et al. (2010), who state that the specific ways in which family members interact at certain moments in their lives, that is, every time they are facing transitions, is a direct reflection of how they have managed transitions and crises in the past.
The death of the spouse has particular characteristics among the normative events, around the adaptation to this new state, there are protective factors that facilitate and are associated with the appearance of resilient levels adaptive to said condition of widowhood, such as the support provided by the family and family functioning.
Pérez (2011), states that the family environment is the most important resource to face widowhood. The position that the widower occupies in that group, recognition, respect and performing tasks at home, favor a favorable coping with the event.
The paranormal events that had sufficient adaptive resources were divorce, death, and incarceration. The acceptance of divorce by parents as a necessary solution, to avoid multiple and unpredictable consequences for all members of the family system, allows it to restructure the different areas of family life, creating mechanisms for adjustments and adaptation to new conditions.
In the case of death, when grief is normal, adaptation to loss is facilitated. When the family assimilates the new reality, it elaborates the duel, the gradual adaptation to the new situation is favored (Meza and others 2008). In a study carried out by Correa on the grieving process in families, he argues: that according to the systemic approach, the "adaptation" of the family to significant loss is analyzed, stating that the level of "adaptability" of families to crises loss, coincides with the categorization of family organizations according to their behavioral patterns of flexibility and adaptability (Correa, 2006).
Types of supports
It can be said that in paranormative events, which do not have a sequence or continuity over time and cannot be reversed, family adaptability was better than in those in which situations persist over time, depleting family adaptive resources as occurs in alcoholism, infertility and suicide attempt.
Normative events received more emotional and informational support. The normative events that received the most emotional support were: birth of the first child, adolescence, retirement, old age and widowhood. The instruments were received to some extent in marriage, the birth of the first child and in retirement. The families studied receive the newsletter on marriage, the birth of the first child and in adolescence. In the events that appear at the end of the family life cycle, this type of support begins to decrease. As in retirement, old age. In the case of widowhood, most families do not receive this type of support, only one receives some type of information. The only event that received much spiritual support was old age.
Instruments are more present at times when the family needs more help, where members are more dependent, such as at the birth of a child and at the end of life when they lose abilities.
E l type of support is moving in the evolutionary cycle depending on the needs of each stage. In the training stage, financial or material help is important to create the couple's living conditions; When a child is born, instrumental help in carrying out household chores to alleviate the work of the woman in labor and that she can take care of her health and the newborn is relevant; emotional support also plays a transcendental role in this stage. The affective help to the mother who finds herself with many demands, motivated by the new role, will allow to dampen the emotional sensitivity that can appear in the woman during these moments, reducing the negative emotional states that may arise.
Informational support is sought at times when greater knowledge is required to deal with new situations, where perhaps no previous experience has been had, such as marriage, the birth of the first child, and adolescence. The help provided to the family with advice, guidance, guiding them through the new experience to live, are valuable when facing these life cycle events.
Affective and instrumental support is very valuable in the final stages of life, where the individual must face not only physical and intellectual changes typical of age, but also changes in lifestyles, roles, losses and social responsibilities. Many older people begin to experience a dependence on third parties to carry out their daily activities. Instrumental support through help in home services reduces the burden of tasks, for which the elderly is no longer competent, reducing risks including for their health, such as domestic accidents.
The emotional and spiritual support is invaluable in the lives of the elderly due to the losses experienced at this stage of the life cycle. It is essential to have someone to talk to, to be able to express yourself emotionally, to feel loved, loved, to be cared for and valued. Feel faith, hope, practice a religious belief. These types of supports have a direct effect on promoting and maintaining the health and well-being of people in these stages of life.
Instrumental support
In paranormative events, emotional support was received most frequently in death, infertility, suicide attempt, divorce, and incarceration. The information in the suicide attempt, death, infertility and imprisonment, this can be given by the actions that are exercised in the health instances in the control of diseases. We see that instrumental support was little used by the families studied, while spiritual support was received in the suicide attempt and incarceration.
The preference in the types of support in para-normative events is found to prefer the emotional one, since when facing a risk situation, they find affective stability in this way. They also demand informational support, because they are not prepared for the situation they present, they require specific information, knowledge, suggestions, alternatives for action, which can facilitate facing or solving problems.
The deficit of social support in alcoholism appears due to the attitudes of society towards people who suffer from this disease, causing distancing from sources of help. The addict does not have a good socialization, develops poor ties with society, maintaining difficult relationships with it due to the lack of social integration. Many families also choose not to talk about the issue, constituting a “family secret” not asking for help, either inside or outside the home, out of fear and shame, depriving themselves of the support they so badly need.
Individuals, where there is risk of death or extreme life situations, both they and families in general, turn to spirituality and religion as help to address their reality. Spiritual harmony is one of the most powerful means used by patients and the family, as resources to face a critical health situation.
The lack of support in the divorce could be given, because many people are of the opinion that in the affairs of the couple it is better not to interfere, thus limiting their sources of support, so necessary and useful for the family in those moments of crisis.
The incarceration event has moral and legal implications. People who serve prison sentences generally lack social acceptance and it is the family that provides the most support to the inmate.
The frequency of support was higher in normative events than in Paranormative ones. In the events of the evolutionary cycle, especially those of the first stages of family life, they tend to be short-lived and make it possible for people who give their help to return to their normal activities, except for old age in the final stage of the evolutionary cycle.
In the paranormatives, some events are not socially accepted, such as alcoholism and incarceration, another element is the duration of the support provided, when they are of long duration, support is sometimes abandoned (González, 2002).
The availability of social support in families
In both normative and para-normative events, the main support networks used by the families were, firstly, the cohabiting family itself, secondly, other relatives who do not live in the same home and, thirdly, the couple and, finally, friends, health institutions and neighbors. The least used networks were religious associations and other social institutions
The family is the most used social network, the person is immersed in it from birth to death. This network is of great importance and is used throughout the life cycle, but it undergoes changes according to the stage of life. The roles of the family members change throughout life. In the first and last stages of life, individuals are recipients of the support provided by the rest of the family and in adulthood they are generally providers of support.
The family is the ideal group to obtain social support due to its characteristics of communication, mutual identification, source of support, affection, security and response to problems. It is the main resource to respond to the needs of all its members.
The couple is one of the most used social networks. Within the family, the satisfactory relationship of the couple can act as a social support network, favoring the satisfaction and well-being of the individual, promoting health. The members of a couple have a perception of closeness, emotional bond and intimacy, which makes the role of the partner to whom they are attached is highly valued, in difficult times. In the case of paranormatives, alcoholism, suicide attempt and infertility. The latter had as the main source of support was the couple, in this event the couple are involved and make greater use of the health institutions where they go to seek specialized help (Del Castillo, et al, 2009).
The role that social support plays during the aging process, friends and neighbors are important sources of support, in these relationships similar life experiences, memories, opinions, values are shared
The normative events that received the most support from the network of health institutions were the birth of the first child, adolescence, old age, and widowhood, and death and infertility in para-normative events. This network is a very important source of support, it offers the right help, at the right time, as a facilitating element of human health.
There is evidence that the relationships and exchanges established with the networks play a protective role in the face of the deterioration of family health, are considered essential elements for overcoming the crisis and allow them to face them with more capacity to coping.
The lack of availability in alcoholism is due to difficulties in coexistence, poor social integration, chronicity and the prognosis of the disease (González, 2005).
In some investigations it has been found that when the problems are chronic and last over time, they threaten the availability of social support. Support providers may become frustrated over time, finding that their efforts do not offer improvement or positive results (Castro R, et al, 1997).
The availability of social support was present in most of the events, with the exception of the alcoholism event and to a lesser extent in old age and widowhood. Satisfaction with the support received was good in normative and paranormal events, with the exception of alcoholism.
The perception that there is help available from others can make the stressful magnitude of an aversive event perceived as reduced (Barraza, 2008). Not all the support provided is perceived as sufficient and appropriate for the subject. Perceived social support is more important than received, since it is what determines the well-being of the family. Perceived support acts by increasing feelings of worth and effectiveness and therefore increases self-confidence at a general level, this is related to better coping with conflict situations.
The results show that the adaptability of the family system is enhanced by the presence of social support, allowing modulation of responses to life events, on the contrary, when these resources are absent, the risk to family health increases (López, 2008).
Most events, which had sufficient adaptive resources, received frequent support. Family adaptability was influenced by the social support received from families who presented normative and para-normative events. The impact on family health was higher in para-normative events than in normative ones, as they had insufficient adaptive resources and received less social support.
Conclusions
- Adaptive resources were sufficient in normative events, unlike paranormative ones, where, in general, they were insufficient.
- The types of support most received in both types of events were emotional and informational.
- The most used support networks were the family, the partner, friends, health institutions and neighbors. The least used were religious associations and other social institutions
- The impact of the events on family health is related to the adaptive resources and social support that the families had. Social support and adaptive resources have a cushioning effect on the impact that normative and para-normative events have on family health.
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