The impact of family to a person’s well-being has long been an established fact. The family’s important role in the emotional and psychological development of its members is largely because of the enduring and consequential nature of family relationships. Also, it is within the family that a person has their first relationship experiences, which determines how well a person forms new relationships in the future.

The fundamental basis for a person’s healthy psychosocial development is the family as it is within the family that a person feels love and security. This security plays a critical role in helping the family members flourish and reach their full potential, significantly impacting their well-being throughout their life course.

The impact of family continues into adulthood, affecting all other relationships (i.e., friendships, romantic relationships, and professional relationships). For example, individuals that grew up in a positive and secure family environment have a stronger and healthier social connections while those individuals that experienced conflict or experienced unstable family dynamics may struggle in their romantic relationships.

There are many reasons as to why a person develops mental health issues, the family being the most critical one. Research studies have consistently shown that family dynamics can influence the development of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or addiction.

Here are some family factors that increase the likelihood of a person to develop mental problems:

• family conflict, instability or separation
• lack of involvement with children and young people or inconsistent parenting
• family violence, child abuse or neglect
• mental health issues or substance abuse of family members
• a serious illness or disability of family member
• financial difficulties

A Healthy Family

Knowing the importance of a healthy family in relation to the mental well-being of an individual, let us take a look on how a healthy family looks like.

According to Beyond Blue, an Australian government initiative promoting mental and emotional health, in healthy family relationships, there is trust and its members rely on each other for support, love, affection and warmth. The family share common goals, and they work together to reach those goals. In a healthy family, family members feel safe and connected to one another.

Sometimes there will be conflicts, but this is a normal part of family life. Conflict can occur between the parents and the children or between the children, but these conflicts are dealt with in a safe and respectful way.

In healthy family relationships, the positive interactions outnumber the difficult times.

The key qualities of a strong family unit are as follows:

• Communication: this means active listening and open and honest communication
• Togetherness : creating a sense of belonging through shared similar values and beliefs
• Sharing activities: spending time together doing things they enjoy
• Affection: showing affection through words and actions
• Support: offering and asking for support, with family members knowing they will receive help, encouragement and reassurance from one another
• Acceptance: understanding, respecting and appreciating each family member’s unique qualities
• Commitment: seeing family well-being as a first priority and acting accordingly with commitment and loyalty
• Resilience: being able to tolerate difficulties and adapt to changing situations in positive ways.

There are various factors within the family that protects a person from experiencing mental health issues.  They are as follows:

• Strong and stable family relationships
• Supportive parenting
• Strong family values
• Consistency in routines and limits

In conclusion, families can have an impact on an individual’s mental health. Positive, healthy family dynamics encourages healthy psychosocial development and positive self-esteem, whereas negative, unhealthy family dynamics can lead to psychological problems. It is of utmost importance then to understand the psychological dynamics of families as this can help the person navigate their relationships with family members and thus foster healthy development and well-being.

Sources:

Be You. “Healthy Families.” Accessed May 4, 2024.  https://beyou.edu.au/history.

Kalentzis, Antonio. “Families and the Impact in Our Lives: Understanding the Psychological Dynamics.”  Last modified March 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/families-impact-our-lives-understanding-psychological-kalentzis.

First Light Recovery. “Family Dynamics.” Accessed May 4, 2024.  “https://firstlightrecovery.com/family-dynamics/.

Mehra, Sanjana. “How Does Family Affect Your Mental Health.” Last modified August 22, 2021. https://www.teenhealth101.org/post/how-does-family-affect-your-mental-health.