NURS 5433 FNP II Midterm Exam Review
(2026-2027) - Family Nursing | UTA|
Verified Answers
What are the three foundational components of family nursing?
1. Determining how the family is defined
2. Understanding the concepts of family health
3. Knowing the current evidence about the elements of a health family
What is family?
Family life is a universal human experience and no two individuals have the exact
same experience within a family. No universally agreed-upon definition of family.
Legal Definition of Family
relationships through blood ties, adoption, guardianship or marriage
Biological Definition of Family
,Genetic biological networks among and between people. Who is biologically
connected to that family member? Epidemiology, hereditary disease.
Sociological Definition of Family
Groups of people living together with or without legal or biological ties I.e Kibbutz
Psychological Definition of Family
Groups with strong emotional ties. People that want to be together are really
connected emotionally so they end up staying with each other.
The textbooks definition of family
Family refers to two or more individuals who depend on one another for
emotional, physical, and economic support. The members of the family are self-
defined. Family is who they say they are, nurses who work with families should
ask clients who they consider to be members of their family and should include
those persons in health care planning with the patient's permission.
What is family health?
Family health is a dynamic, changing state of well-being, which includes the
biological, psychological, spiritual, sociological, and cultural factors of individual
family members and the family system.
- an individual's health (on wellness-to-illness continuum) affects the entire family
,-ensure you are looking at the whole perspective
What is family functioning?
Difficult to describe characteristics of a family that is well-functioning.
Otto (1963) -first scholar to develop psychosocial criteria for assessing family
strengths, and emphasized the need to focus on positive family attributes instead
of pathological approach that accentuated family problems and weaknesses.
Pratt 1976 -energized family: as one whose structure encourages and supports
individual to develop their capacities for full functioning and independent action,
thus contributing to family health.
Curran's Traits (1985) of a Healthy Family
Communicates and Listens
Fosters table time and conversation
Affirms and supports each member
Teaches respect for others
Develops a sense of trust
Has a sense of play and humor
Has a balance of interaction among members
Shares leisure time
Abounds to rituals and traditions
, Teaches a sense of right and wrong
Shares a religious core
Respects the privacy of others
Values service to others
Admits to problems and seeks help
Family Flexibility
Olson and Gorall (2005) conducted a study and found that the ability of the family
to demonstrate flexibility is related to its ability to alter family leadership roles,
relationships, and rules, including control, discipline, and role sharing. Functional,
healthy families have the ability to change these factors in response to situations.
What are the dominant patterns of family functioning?
Balanced flexibility and balance cohesion
Family Nursing Competences: Generalist
1. Enhance and promote family health
2. focus nursing practice on family's strengths, the support of family and individual
growth, the improvement of family self-management abilities, the facilitation of
successful life transitions, the improvement and management of health, and the
mobilization of family resources.
(2026-2027) - Family Nursing | UTA|
Verified Answers
What are the three foundational components of family nursing?
1. Determining how the family is defined
2. Understanding the concepts of family health
3. Knowing the current evidence about the elements of a health family
What is family?
Family life is a universal human experience and no two individuals have the exact
same experience within a family. No universally agreed-upon definition of family.
Legal Definition of Family
relationships through blood ties, adoption, guardianship or marriage
Biological Definition of Family
,Genetic biological networks among and between people. Who is biologically
connected to that family member? Epidemiology, hereditary disease.
Sociological Definition of Family
Groups of people living together with or without legal or biological ties I.e Kibbutz
Psychological Definition of Family
Groups with strong emotional ties. People that want to be together are really
connected emotionally so they end up staying with each other.
The textbooks definition of family
Family refers to two or more individuals who depend on one another for
emotional, physical, and economic support. The members of the family are self-
defined. Family is who they say they are, nurses who work with families should
ask clients who they consider to be members of their family and should include
those persons in health care planning with the patient's permission.
What is family health?
Family health is a dynamic, changing state of well-being, which includes the
biological, psychological, spiritual, sociological, and cultural factors of individual
family members and the family system.
- an individual's health (on wellness-to-illness continuum) affects the entire family
,-ensure you are looking at the whole perspective
What is family functioning?
Difficult to describe characteristics of a family that is well-functioning.
Otto (1963) -first scholar to develop psychosocial criteria for assessing family
strengths, and emphasized the need to focus on positive family attributes instead
of pathological approach that accentuated family problems and weaknesses.
Pratt 1976 -energized family: as one whose structure encourages and supports
individual to develop their capacities for full functioning and independent action,
thus contributing to family health.
Curran's Traits (1985) of a Healthy Family
Communicates and Listens
Fosters table time and conversation
Affirms and supports each member
Teaches respect for others
Develops a sense of trust
Has a sense of play and humor
Has a balance of interaction among members
Shares leisure time
Abounds to rituals and traditions
, Teaches a sense of right and wrong
Shares a religious core
Respects the privacy of others
Values service to others
Admits to problems and seeks help
Family Flexibility
Olson and Gorall (2005) conducted a study and found that the ability of the family
to demonstrate flexibility is related to its ability to alter family leadership roles,
relationships, and rules, including control, discipline, and role sharing. Functional,
healthy families have the ability to change these factors in response to situations.
What are the dominant patterns of family functioning?
Balanced flexibility and balance cohesion
Family Nursing Competences: Generalist
1. Enhance and promote family health
2. focus nursing practice on family's strengths, the support of family and individual
growth, the improvement of family self-management abilities, the facilitation of
successful life transitions, the improvement and management of health, and the
mobilization of family resources.
