Understanding if your family is at risk

According the Macmaster family assessment device there are six different dimensions of family functioning which are regarded as the most important roles within a family (Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop, & Epstein, 2000). All 6 dimensions have functioning levels that range from healthy to unhealthy (Ryan et. al., 2005). Knowledge and awareness of these dimensions may guide you to better understand whether your family is at risk during times of crisis such as we are currently experiencing.

These are the 6 dimensions within in a family functioning which can be considered when assessing risk within a family from the Macmaster family assessment device:

Problem Solving, the family’s ability to resolve problems. How well your family solves problems together can indicate unhealthy or heathy your families functioning is during a time like this (Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop, & Epstein, 2000). Notice if you and your family abilities to solve problems is different by looking at how you solved problems before the pandemic to and how you are solving problems now.

Communication, this is the way in which all your family members are talking to each other (Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop, & Epstein, 2000). You can monitor your families communication pattern during this time. These patterns include non-verbal information as well. Notice whether your families communication has changed for the worse during this time.

Roles this means how formed or usual patterns of behaviour are within your family (Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop, & Epstein, 2000). For example, how is your family getting resources such as good, how supportive and nurturing, personal support and maintenance of the family system your family functioning. In addition, it includes consideration of whether tasks are clearly and fairly given to your various family members and are these tasks being done in a responsible manner (Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop, & Epstein, 2000). Take notice of whether the roles in your family are still being met during this time.

Affective Responsiveness, refers to the extent to which individual family members are able to experience appropriate affect or to change when facing different kinds of stimuli in this case the COVID-19 pandemic (Epstein & Bishop, 2007). Monitor the way in which your family members are able to change in when facing these current difficulties and whether they are at struggling with this may indicate whether your family is at risk.

Affective Involvement, refers to how interested are family member and how much value or concern do they give towards other family members activities or concerns (Miller, Ryan, Keitner, Bishop, & Epstein, 2000). This you can also notice by looking at whether your own interest in other member of your family activities has changed or any other members have changed since the start of COVID-19. Perhaps you are becoming less and less interesting in guiding your child in their home schooling for example.

-Behaviour Control this refers to the way in which a family articulates and sustains standards for the behaviour. For example, behaviour in situations for different sorts of situation such as dangerous, psychological and social is assessed as are different patterns of control.

List of references:

Department of health Republic of South Africa. (2020). COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal. COVID-19 online resources and news portal: https://sacoronavirus.co.za/

Epstein, N. B., & Bishop, D. S. (2007). Problem Centered Systems Therapy of the Family. Journal of Maritial and Family Therapy 7(1), 23-31 https://org./doi/10.1111/j.1752-0606.1981.tb01348.

Miller, I., Ryan, C., Keitner, G., Bishop, D., & Epstein, N. (2000). The McMaster Approach to Families: theory, assessment, treatment and research. Journal of Family Therapy 22 (1), 168–189.

World health organisation. (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. World health organisation: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019