1
Child and Family Exam Prep
Module 1.1
Family types
Traditional nuclear family: comprises a husband and wife with biological children
with no other members living in household.
Binuclear family: a post-divorce family where both parents have remarried and
child has now become a member of 2 nuclear households
Extended family: exists when a parent or couple share a residence and
money/finance along with child rearing activities with along relative such as
grandparent
Blended family: involved 2 parents and their respective children. More common
with increase of divorce rates and remarrying
Single parent: consists of either a mother or father who is widowed, separated or
divorced
Gay & Lesbian family: 2 adults of the same sex who reside together and may
adopt, have a child by a surrogate
Foster family: may comprise a variation of the family form but which has met the
criteria to offer temporary family accommodation
Adoptive family: takes in child or children with whom it may share no
consanguine ties but which meets the legal requirements to provide family
focussed care.
Grandparent reared families: where both the child’s parents or a single parent is
not able to raise the children/child so the grandparents do it.
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Module 1.2
Family Development Theory
Stages of family Development tasks
lifestyle
Married couple • Establishing married relationship
• Blending individual needs, developing conflict
and resolution approaches, communication
patterns, and intimacy patterns
Childbearing families • Adjusting to pregnancy and infant
with infants • New role adjustment-parenthood
• Maintaining couple bond and intimacy
Families with • Understand normal growth and development
preschool children • Adjust to different temperaments and styles of
children if more than 1 child
• Coping with energy depletion
• Maintaining couple bond and intimacy
Families with school- • Working out authority and socialisation roles
aged children with school
• Supporting child in outside interests & needs
• Determining disciplinary actions and family rules
and roles
Families with • Allowing adolescents to establish their own
adolescents identities but still be apart of the family
• Maintaining supportive home
• Increasing role of adolescents in family,
cooking, repairs
Families with young • After family member moves out, reallocating
adults launching roles, space and communication
• Maintaining supportive home base
• Maintaining parental intimacy and relationship
Middle-aged years • Refocusing on marriage relationship
• Ensuring security after retirement
• Maintaining kinship ties
Ageing families • Adjusting to retirement, grandparent roles,
death of spouse and living alone
Family Systems Theory
• A family as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts
• A change in 1 family member affects all family members
• The family is able to create a balance between change & stability
• A family system is part of a larger supra-system
• A family system is contains boundaries- beliefs, values, ideas and roles
• Family systems theory can assist nurses to understand a family as an
interconnected whole
• Does not always provide a view of the family over time, doesn’t always
provide explicit guidance to nurses
Child and Family Exam Prep
Module 1.1
Family types
Traditional nuclear family: comprises a husband and wife with biological children
with no other members living in household.
Binuclear family: a post-divorce family where both parents have remarried and
child has now become a member of 2 nuclear households
Extended family: exists when a parent or couple share a residence and
money/finance along with child rearing activities with along relative such as
grandparent
Blended family: involved 2 parents and their respective children. More common
with increase of divorce rates and remarrying
Single parent: consists of either a mother or father who is widowed, separated or
divorced
Gay & Lesbian family: 2 adults of the same sex who reside together and may
adopt, have a child by a surrogate
Foster family: may comprise a variation of the family form but which has met the
criteria to offer temporary family accommodation
Adoptive family: takes in child or children with whom it may share no
consanguine ties but which meets the legal requirements to provide family
focussed care.
Grandparent reared families: where both the child’s parents or a single parent is
not able to raise the children/child so the grandparents do it.
, 2
Module 1.2
Family Development Theory
Stages of family Development tasks
lifestyle
Married couple • Establishing married relationship
• Blending individual needs, developing conflict
and resolution approaches, communication
patterns, and intimacy patterns
Childbearing families • Adjusting to pregnancy and infant
with infants • New role adjustment-parenthood
• Maintaining couple bond and intimacy
Families with • Understand normal growth and development
preschool children • Adjust to different temperaments and styles of
children if more than 1 child
• Coping with energy depletion
• Maintaining couple bond and intimacy
Families with school- • Working out authority and socialisation roles
aged children with school
• Supporting child in outside interests & needs
• Determining disciplinary actions and family rules
and roles
Families with • Allowing adolescents to establish their own
adolescents identities but still be apart of the family
• Maintaining supportive home
• Increasing role of adolescents in family,
cooking, repairs
Families with young • After family member moves out, reallocating
adults launching roles, space and communication
• Maintaining supportive home base
• Maintaining parental intimacy and relationship
Middle-aged years • Refocusing on marriage relationship
• Ensuring security after retirement
• Maintaining kinship ties
Ageing families • Adjusting to retirement, grandparent roles,
death of spouse and living alone
Family Systems Theory
• A family as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts
• A change in 1 family member affects all family members
• The family is able to create a balance between change & stability
• A family system is part of a larger supra-system
• A family system is contains boundaries- beliefs, values, ideas and roles
• Family systems theory can assist nurses to understand a family as an
interconnected whole
• Does not always provide a view of the family over time, doesn’t always
provide explicit guidance to nurses
