Normal Family Research Articles

Feeling called to care: a qualitative interview study on normativity in family caregivers\u2019 experiences in Dutch home settings in a palliative care context

BackgroundFamily caregivers, such as partners or other family members, are highly important to people who desire to stay at home in the last phase of their life-limiting disease. Despite the much-investigated challenges of family caregiving for a patient from one’s direct social network, lots of caregivers persevere. To better understand why, we aimed to specify how normative elements – i.e. what is considered good or valuable – shape family caregivers’ experiences in Dutch home settings.MethodsFrom September 2017 to February 2019, a total of 15 family caregivers, 13 bereaved family caregivers, and 9 patients participated in one-time in-depth interviews. The data were qualitatively analyzed following a grounded theory approach.ResultsCentral to this study is the persistent feeling of being called to care. By whom, why, and to what? Family caregivers feel called by the patient, professionals entering normal life, family and friends, or by oneself; because of normative elements of love, duty, or family dynamics; to be constantly available, attentive to the patient while ignoring their own needs, and assertive in managing the caring situation. The prospect of death within the palliative care context intensifies these mechanisms with a sense of urgency.ConclusionsOur analysis showed a difference between feeling called upon in the caring situation on the one hand, and how caregivers tend to respond to these calls on the other. Taking into account the inherent normative and complex nature of family caregiving, the pressing feeling of being called cannot – and perhaps should not – simply be resolved. Caring might be something families just find themselves in due to being related. Rather than in feeling called upon per se, the burden of care might lie in the seeming limitlessness to which people feel called, reinforced by (implicit) social expectations. Support, we argue, should enable caregivers to reflect on what norms and values guide their responses while acknowledging that caring, despite being burdensome, can be a highly important and rewarding part of the relationship between partners or family members.

Causes and criteria of disharmonies in family system functioning

The article highlights the problem of finding the causes of disharmonies in marital relations and the criteria for the normal functioning of a family system. Dysfunction or disturbances of family functioning are such features of family life that complicate or hinder execution of family functions. A dysfunctional family in a broad sense means a system determining distortions of personal development and, therefore, maladaptive, deviant behaviour or neurotic disorders at one or more of the family members. The aim of the study is to identify the causes of disharmony in marital relations and the criteria for normal functioning of a family as a system. The empirical part of this study was devoted to determining the causes of such disharmonies in marital relationships that subsequently led to divorce. The study was conducted during the family counselling of married men, women and married couples who were in the process of divorce. The next criteria for normal family functioning have been determined: respect for differences; sincerity in expressing thoughts and feelings; dynamic relationships; role sharing; observance of personal boundaries; family openness; emotional and spiritual intimacy.

A Comparative Study on the Behavior of Adolescents Raised by Normal Families and Broken Home Families in Keboan Anom Village, Gedangan, Sidoarjo

The purpose of this study is (1) to find out the behavior of adolescents who are raised by normal families. (2) knowing the behavior of teenagers who are raised by broken home families and (3) knowing the comparison or differences in the behavior of teenagers who are raised by normal families and broken home families. The research method used a mixed method research or a combination of quantitative and qualitative with a population of 150 teenagers living in RW.03, RW.05 and RW.06 and obtained a sample of 60 teenagers to study. Then the data analysis technique used in the study used the independent sample t-test formula. Based on the research that has been done, the results of the research are as follows: (1) the behavior of adolescents who are cared for by normal families using an average analysis technique that has been through validity and reliability tests gets a score of 3.95 which is in the interval of 3.67 – 5.00 which means that the behavior of adolescents is quite good. (2) and the behavior of adolescents who are cared for by broken home families using an average analysis technique that has been through validity and reliability tests obtains a score of 2.72 which is in the interval 2.34 - 3.66, which means that adolescent behavior is classified as poor. . (3) based on the independent sample t-test test output in the equal variances assumed section, it is known that the value of sig.(2-tailed) is 0.000 <0.05.

High-dimensional proportionality test of two covariance matrices and its application to gene expression data

With the development of modern science and technology, more and more high-dimensional data appear in the application fields. Since the high dimension can potentially increase the complexity of the covariance structure, comparing the covariance matrices among populations is strongly motivated in high-dimensional data analysis. In this article, we consider the proportionality test of two high-dimensional covariance matrices, where the data dimension is potentially much larger than the sample sizes, or even larger than the squares of the sample sizes. We devise a novel high-dimensional spatial rank test that has much-improved power than many existing popular tests, especially for the data generated from some heavy-tailed distributions. The asymptotic normality of the proposed test statistics is established under the family of elliptically symmetric distributions, which is a more general distribution family than the normal distribution family, including numerous commonly used heavy-tailed distributions. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate the superiority of the proposed test in terms of both empirical size and power. Then, a real data analysis demonstrates the practicability of the proposed test for high-dimensional gene expression data.

Robust density power divergence based tests in multivariate analysis: A comparative overview of different approaches

Hypothesis testing is one of the fundamental paradigms of statistical inference. The three canonical hypothesis testing procedures available in the statistical literature are the likelihood ratio (LR) test, the Wald test and the Rao (score) test. All of them have good optimality properties and past research has not identified any of these three procedures to be a clear winner over the other two. However, the classical versions of these tests are based on the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), which, although the most optimal estimator asymptotically, is known for its lack of robustness under outliers and model misspecification. In the present paper we provide an overview of the analogues of these tests based on the minimum density power divergence estimator (MDPDE), which presents us with an alternative option that is strongly robust and highly efficient. Since these tests have, so far, been mostly studied for univariate responses, here we primarily focus on their performances for several important hypothesis testing problems in the multivariate context under the multivariate normal model family.

Meromorphic Functions with Three Radially Distributed Values

We consider transcendental meromorphic functions for which the zeros, 1-points and poles are distributed on three distinct rays. We show that such functions exist if and only if the rays are equally spaced. We also obtain a normal family analogue of this result.

Discourses between the Public and the Private: Transnational Families at the Crossroads

AbstractRaising a child is a challenging venture, regardless of where one lives in the world. Most children are raised in their families; however, many states have welfare services if the child’s well-being is at stake. Scandinavian countries follow a rather strict policy in placing the child’s individual rights above those of the family, and Norway has child welfare legislation that applies to all children in the country, regardless of their status, nationality or citizenship. This institutional structure has raised issues about how family life is negotiated in society. In this article, we analyze the ways in which language and culture are used to address expectations of (good) normal family life in both private and public discourses with implications for transnational families. We thus problematize the notion of the family as a private domain or space. Furthermore, by examining institutional involvement in child-rearing, we extend research on family language policy to contexts of foster care. We thereby raise the discussion to a societal level about private and public expectations towards family life in a late-modern society.

Analysis of the influence of parents' going out on the mental health of left-behind children in rural areas

With the continuous and deepening of urbanization in my country, more and more migrant laborers appear, accompanied by the emergence of left-behind children. As a representative of children with lower socioeconomic status, left-behind children in rural areas have different degrees of problems in physical and mental health and learning. This article uses China’s education tracking survey data to empirically analyze the impact of parents’going out on the mental health of left-behind children in rural areas. The study found that mothers play an indispensable role in the growth of children and have a significant impact on the development of children’s mental health. Therefore, in the policy of focusing on the protection of left-behind children, it is necessary to rationally allocate the arrangements for parents to take care of home and work outside to create a normal and suitable family atmosphere for the left-behind children.

Conceptual model of fracture‐limited sea cliff erosion: Erosion of the seaward tilted flyschs of Socoa, Basque Country, France

AbstractSea cliff morphology and erosion rates are modulated by several factors, including rock control that reflects both lithology and rock structure. Erosion is anticipated to preferentially exploit ‘fractures’, broadly meant as any discontinuity in an otherwise continuous medium, where the rock mass is weakest. Unpicking the direct control of such fractures on the spatial and temporal pattern of erosion remains, however, challenging. To analyse how such fractures control erosion, we monitored the evolution of a 400 m‐long stretch of highly structured sedimentary cliffs in Socoa, Basque Country, France. The rock is known as the Socoa flysch formation. This formation combines decimetre‐thick turbidites composed of repeat triplets of medium to strong calcareous sandstone, laminated siltstones and argillaceous marls. The sequence plunges at 45° into the sea with a shore‐parallel strike. The cliffs are cross‐cut by two normal and reverse fault families, with 10–100 m alongshore spacing, with primary and secondary strata‐bound fractures perpendicular to the bedding, which combined delimit the cliff rock mass into discrete blocks that are exploited by the erosion process. Erosion, and sometimes plucking, of such beds and blocks on the cliff face was monitored using ground‐based structure‐from‐motion (SfM) photogrammetry, over the course of 5.7 years between 2011 and 2017. To compare with longer time change, cliff‐top retreat rate was assessed using SfM‐orthorectified archive aerial photographs spanning 1954–2008. We show that the 13,250 m2 cliff face released 4500 blocks exceeding 1.45 × 10−3 m3, removing a total volume of 170 m3. This equates to an average cliff erosion rate of 3.4 mm/year, which is slightly slower than the 54‐year‐long local cliff‐top retreat (10.8 ± 1.8 mm/year). The vertical distribution of erosion reflects the height of sea water inundation, where the maximum erosion intensity occurs ca. 2 m above high spring‐tide water level. Alongshore, the distribution of rockfall scars is concentrated along bed edges bounding cross‐cutting faults; the extent of block detachment is controlled by secondary tectonic joints, which may extend through several beds locally sharing similar mechanical strength; and rockfall depth is always a multiple of bed thickness. Over the longer term, we explain block detachment and resultant cliff collapse as a cycle. Erosion nucleates on readily exploitable fractures but elsewhere, the sea only meets defect‐free medium‐strong to strong rock slabs offering few morphological features for exploitation. Structurally delimited blocks are quarried, and with sufficient time, carve semi‐elliptic scars reaching progressively deeper strata to be eroded. Lateral propagation of erosion is directed along mechanical weaknesses in the bedding, and large episodic collapses affect the overhanging slabs via sliding on the weak marl beds. Collapse geometry is confined to one or several triplets of turbidite beds, but never reaches deeper into the cliff than the eroded depth at the foot. We contend that this fracture‐limited model of sea‐cliff erosion, inferred from the Socoa site dynamics and its peculiar sets of fractures, applies more broadly to other fractured cliff contexts, albeit with site‐specific geometries. The initiation of erosion, the propagation of incremental block release and the ultimate full failure of the cliff, have each been shown to be fundamentally directly controlled by structure, which remains a vital control in understanding how cliffed coasts have changed in the past and will change in the future.

Meromorphically Normal Families in Several Variables

Meromorphically Normal Families in Several Variables

ILLNESS PERCEPTION AND PERCEIVED STRESS AS PREDICTORS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG OUTPATIENTS OF FEDERAL NEURO- PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, YABA, LAGOS.

Purpose: Empirical evidence have shown that psychiatric out-patients often experience difficulties with getting back to normal family and work routines and relapse. This stimulated this study and made it imperative to examine the extent to which illness perception and perceived stress are implicated in fostering successful re-integration of out-patients back into the society, enhance total adherence to intake of prescribed medications, and increase being compliant to attending check-up at due time, among others.
 Methodology: The study investigated illness perception and perceived stress as predictors of quality of life among psychiatric patients in Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, using predictive design. The research sample consisted of sixty-one (61) out-patients at Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba. This comprised of thirty-nine (39; 63.9%) males and twenty two (22; 36.1%) females with mean age of 34.29, S.D 5.60, respectively. The participants were selected by the researcher using purposive sampling technique. They were individually administered the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) – Brief scale, Illness Perception Questionnaire-revised (IPQ-R), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Multiple linear regression statistics was used for testing research hypothesis.
 Findings: The result revealed significant positive influence of illness perception on quality of life (R2= .048, R2 (adjusted) = .015; β = .205, p<.05). It further revealed that perceived stress significant predicted quality of life (R2= .048, R2 (adjusted) = .015; β = .061, p<.05). The researcher attributed these findings to the fact that psychiatric out-patients may by virtue of their health conditions might still not come to terms with their re-integration. 
 Recommendation: As a result of the study findings, psychiatric outpatients should be exposed to programmes and psycho-education capable of promoting positive view of their health. Doing so will result to having positive illness perception leading to improve quality of life, since the two variables shared positive relationship. It also recommends that the process of re-integrating psychiatric outpatients back into the society should be done very well, amidst equipping them with required skills and knowledge they will need in handling the stressors they will face, positively.

Role of family functioning and health-related quality of life in pre-school children with dental caries: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the effect of family functioning on oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) and dental caries status among 4- to 6-year-old Chinese pre-school children in Malaysia.MethodologyThis study was approved by the institutional Joint Research and Ethics Committee, International Medical University, Malaysia (number 373/2016); consisted of 180 eligible pre-school children from a private school. Study tools included demographic, clinical oral health data form, the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and family functioning—12-item general functioning subscale. Written consent was sought prior to data collection. Data were analysed by SPSS v.22.0; descriptive statistics for socio-demographic details, clinical information, HRQoL and FAD scores. The parametric tests included independent sample t test and ANOVA to evaluate the associations between the dependent variable. Binary logistic regression models were applied to assess the impacts on OHRQoL (P value < 0.05).ResultsA response rate of 80.5% was achieved. Sample means for FAD-GF12 scores ranged < 2, indicating normal family functioning. The ECOHIS scores mean was 0.52 (SD = 0.68). In the children impact section the highest score of impacts 20 was noted followed by family impact section with the score of 12. It was observed that children with dental caries had a significant (P = 0.014) negative impact on OHRQoL (mean 0.72, SD = 0.50) as compared to children with no caries (mean 0.34 SD = 0.39). The bivariate regression analysis after getting adjusted indicated three predictors associated to poor HRQoL: having two or more siblings (OR = 4.73, P = 0.013), relationship (mother) of the respondent to the child (OR = 2.86, P = 0.013) and having dental caries (OR = 8.12, P ≤ 0.001).ConclusionFindings of this study indicates that number of siblings, relationship of the respondent to the child and dental caries status are independently associated with health-related quality of life. However, family functioning does not mediate poor HRQoL in association to dental caries.

Nursing Experience Using Art Therapy With Parents Facing the Death of a Newborn

When a newborn requires immediate hospitalization due to a potentially life-threatening situation, parents face a sudden and significant increase in stress. This situation and the potential loss of their child will bring great grief and loss to the parents, which may lead to conditions that foster dysfunctional family dynamics. This article describes the author's experience providing hospice care to a dying infant with a group B streptococcus infection in the neonatal intensive care unit. The author served as the primary care nurse from April 5th to July 6th, 2019. Data were collected during direct care provision, observations, and interactions with parents, while overall systemic assessments were used in analysis to establish that the health problems of the case were: (1) existing infection: related to group B streptococcus; (2) ineffective tissue perfusion: insufficient perfusion of multiple organs, including brain, heart, lung, and kidney, due to sepsis infection; and (3) caregiver grief: facing the death of a newborn. Nursing care provided to the patient included maintaining individualized physical functions and retaining physical integrity during the end-of-life period. The nursing care provided to the parents included the use of art therapy to encourage them to express their inner emotions through the writing of memoirs and diaries and their participation in companionship. This intervention was designed to help the parents transition from the grief of denying the collapse to the fact that their baby had died. As Taiwanese culture typically avoids discussions of death, the nursing experience described in this article may provide a reference for caring for similar patients. This article highlights the beauty of nursing through art therapy, demonstrates the achievement of whole-person and family-centered nursing, shows how the case was successfully helped through the crisis, and illustrates how normal family functions may be maintained.

Comparatively, interpret the family drawings test for normal and divorced children as well as orphans and abandoned (9 to 14 years old) with an emphasis on the study of anxiety, depression, and aggression

Introduction: For childrens mental health, different levels of family environment dysfunction are considered as risk factors. Aim: The aim of the study was to comparatively interpret the family drawings test for normal and divorced children as well as orphans and abandoned (9 to 14 years old) with an emphasis on the study of anxiety, depression, and aggression. Method: The present study was causal-comparative research. The statistical population included children aged 9 to 14 years from normal families, children of divorce, orphans, and abandoned in Tehran. The sample size consisted of 50 normal and 50 children from the other three groups who were determined based on the purposive assignment method and available sampling. For collecting the data, the Buss and Perry's Aggression Questionnaire, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Child Depression Inventory, and also the Corman family Drawing test were used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 through analysis of variance and multiple comparisons (Scheffe). Results: Findings showed that there is a high correlation between the scores of the anxiety index, depression, and aggression of children with the scores of these variables in the children's drawing test (P=0.000) on the other hand, the results of analysis of variance and Scheffe test showed that there was a significant difference between normal children and divorced children as well as orphans and abandoned (P=0.000, F=581.870) and the level of anxiety, depression, and aggression of abandoned children (196.15), orphaned children (186.69) and divorced children (174.55) was more than normal children (111.94). Conclusion: According to the interpretation of the tests, it can be concluded that children from divorced as well as orphans and abandoned children are more depressed, anxious, and aggressive than normal children and regarding these components, abandoned children were worse off than orphans and divorced children.

Difficulties experienced by parents of children with cancer: A literature review

Children with cancer experience certain difficulties and needs associated with pain, nutrition, weakness, infection, and hyperthermia. All these needs require satisfaction and support both from medical staff and the children’s families. One of the most difficult aspects of being parents of a child diagnosed with cancer is to balance normal family life with the sick child’s needs and treatment requirements. Cancer is a serious disease that creates many stress factors for family members. Families mostly feel that everything has changed in their lives with the cancer diagnosis and have to make many adjustments, including financial spendings.&#x0D; Treatments, hospital visits, and hospitalizations suddenly invade their normal family life. A shock after diagnosis, painful therapy, an associated disruption of family and social development, and a constant uncertainty of relapse affect not only the sick child but also his/her family members.&#x0D; The article aimed to describe the needs and difficulties of parents of a child with cancer.&#x0D; Results: Data analysis revealed four main areas where the parents of children with cancer experience difficulties: 1. changes in the daily life of families caring for children with cancer, 2. financial challenges, 3. lack of knowledge, 4. pain management, and 5. psychological health.&#x0D; Conclusion: Serious disease in a child possesses challenges for his/her parents due to the changes in families’ daily lives. These parents need additional knowledge of care, psychosocial support, especially when making decisions they have to make, such as terminating cancer treatment, giving consent to refuse resuscitation or life support

Impact of the Poor Oral Health Status of Children on Their Families: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.

The impact of poor oral health may not just be limited to the children themselves but can impact their families. The current study aims to perform psychometric analyses of the Arabic version of the Family Impact Scale and investigate the association of its domains with the oral health status of children. This cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 500 parent-child dyads from high schools of Jazan city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Arabic version of the Family Impact Scale was subjected to reliability and validity tests. The explanatory variables in the current study are: the oral health status, parents combined income, parents’ education, age and sex of the child. The descriptive analysis was reported using proportions, this was followed by the bivariate and multivariable analyses. About 24.2% of children were reported to have fair, poor, and very poor oral health. A lower frequency of family impact corresponded with better oral health (OH) status of children (p < 0.001). The likelihood of parent’s taking time off from work and having financial difficulties was nearly two-times greater if their children had poor oral health. Similarly, interruption in sleep and other normal activities of parents is four times and five times greater, respectively, if the child has poor oral health status. Thus, the poor oral health of school children in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia is a matter of grave concern as it is observed to be associated with family impacts; particularly affecting the parent’s work, sleep, and other normal family activities.

DAMPAK KAWIN PAKSA TERHADAP KEHAMONISAN RUMAH TANGGA DALAM PERSPEKTIF HUKUM ISLAM (Analisis Desa Panaan Kecamatan Palengaan Kabupaten Pamekasan)

Normal family life in marriage is the rights and needs of every human being. Therefore, it is natural that before entering domestic life both men and women use a lot of considerations in choosing and determining a partner. Not a few cases were found in the community regarding a married life that was motivated by compulsion to hold a marriage, which was then known as forced marriage. As for the study of the problems that become the main study in this discussion, they are about the occurrence of forced marriages, the view of Islamic law on forced marriages, and the impact of forced marriages in household harmony. The method in this study uses juridical and normative analysis methods or field research, in which data collection techniques use primary data and secondary data.

Difficulties experienced by parents&#x0D; of children with cancer:&#x0D; A literature review

Relevance: Children with cancer experience certain difficulties and needs associated with pain, nutrition, weakness, infection,&#x0D; and hyperthermia. All these needs require satisfaction and support both from medical staff and the children’s families. One of the&#x0D; most difficult aspects of being parents of a child diagnosed with cancer is to balance normal family life with the sick child’s needs and&#x0D; treatment requirements. Cancer is a serious disease that creates many stress factors for family members. Families mostly feel that&#x0D; everything has changed in their lives with the cancer diagnosis and have to make many adjustments, including financial spendings.&#x0D; Treatments, hospital visits, and hospitalizations suddenly invade their normal family life. A shock after diagnosis, painful therapy, an&#x0D; associated disruption of family and social development, and a constant uncertainty of relapse affect not only the sick child but also&#x0D; his/her family members.&#x0D; The article aimed to describe the needs and difficulties of parents of a child with cancer.&#x0D; Results: Data analysis revealed four main areas where the parents of children with cancer experience difficulties: 1. changes in&#x0D; the daily life of families caring for children with cancer, 2. financial challenges, 3. lack of knowledge, 4. pain management, and 5.&#x0D; psychological health.&#x0D; Conclusion: Serious disease in a child possesses challenges for his/her parents due to the changes in families’ daily lives. These&#x0D; parents need additional knowledge of care, psychosocial support, especially when making decisions they have to make, such as terminating cancer treatment, giving consent to refuse resuscitation or life support.

Social Representations of Art in Public Places: A Study of Everyday Explanations of the Statue of ‘A Real Birmingham Family’

This article focuses on the social/cultural representations of the statue of A Real Birmingham Family cast in bronze and unveiled in Britain’s second city in October 2014. It reveals a family comprising two local mixed-race sisters, both single mothers, and their sons, unanimously chosen from 372 families. Three of the four families shortlisted for the statue were ‘mixed-race’ families. The artwork came about through a partnership between the sculptress, Gillian Wearing, and the city’s Ikon Gallery. A number of different lay representations of the artwork have been identified, notably, that it is a ‘normal family with no fathers’ and that it is not a ‘typical family’. These are at variance with a representation based on an interpretation of the artwork and materials associated with its creation: that a nuclear family is one reality amongst many and that what constitutes a family should not be fixed. This representation destabilizes our notion of the family and redefines it as empirical, experiential, and first-hand, families being brought into recognition by those in the wider society who choose to nominate themselves as such. The work of Ian Hacking, Richard Jenkins, and others is drawn upon to contest the concept of ‘normality’. Further, statistical data are presented that show that there is now a plurality of family types with no one type dominating or meriting the title of ‘normal’. Finally, Wearing’s statues of families in Trentino and Copenhagen comprise an evolving body of cross-national public art that provides further context and meaning for this representation.

Who can take advantage of medically assisted reproduction in Germany?

Compared with other European societies, access to medically assisted reproduction (MAR) in Germany is rather restrictive. Surprisingly little is known about the actual utilization of MAR in Germany and its social selectivity, primarily due to a lack of appropriate data. This article studies the use of MAR by drawing on 11 waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam), an annual survey that collects data on partnership and family dynamics in Germany. In estimating pooled logistic regression models that take into account whether or not MAR has been used, the following treatments were included: (i) in-vitro fertilization or micro-fertilization; (ii) intrauterine insemination; and (iii) any type of surgery performed to treat infertility. The highest odds of seeking medical help for infertility were found among married, childless couples who had a higher income, a strong desire to have children, a poor self-assessed health status, and who reported having problems conceiving a child prior to the year of the interview. Among these married couples, those with an above-average income were particularly likely to use MAR. These findings indicate that social selectivity in the uptake of MAR is based on economic resources and on the importance of marriage as the cultural ideal for a ‘normal family’.