Incidence and analysis of the broken family in the background of neurosis.

Abstract

LMOST all standard textbooks of psychiatry state that one of the etiolog-A ic factors in the production of neuroses is the broken family; but a review of the literature reveals very few, if any, statistical studies on the actual percentages of broken families among the neuroses. Slater (l), in 2000 cases reviewed, states that a bad home in the sense of excessive poverty, drunkenness, or family disagreement was found in 20.9 per cent of patients. Brown (2), in a review of 100 cases of soldiers who broke in battle, found that 19 per cent had nervous parents or broken homes. Statistics on the number of broken homes in random normal groups throughout the country are also meager. A study by Conklin (3) of a control group of gifted students showed that broken homes were present in 23 per cent of maladjusted students and in 15 per cent of adjusted students, but no further details were given. In a study of 83 normal children in the third and fifth grades in school, Preston and Shepler (4) found that 86 per cent were raised by both parents, I. Patients who had a broken family before the age of 9 years. 11. Patients from broken families from age 9 to 16 years. 111. Those raised by both parents, a t least to the age of 16.

Early maternal deprivation and later psychiatric illness.

“…Madow and Hardy ( 5 ) found a positive correlation between war neurosis and broken homes, but did not break down the concept of "broken home" into its various causes. In general, there is little in the literature to contradict our findings, but in many cases early adverse factors had not been accurately defined.…”

The role of the family in the development of psychopathology.

“…Moreover, Oltman, McGarry, and Friedman (1952) found that the incidence of broken homes and parental deprivation in the families of schizophrenics (34%) was not very different from that found in the families of hospital employees (32%), alcoholics (31%), and manic-depressives (34%); indeed, in their sampling, neurotics (49%) and psychopaths (48%) showed a greater incidence. Other studies have found that the incidence of broken homes in the history of neurotics is between 20% (Brown & Moore, 1944) and 30% (Madow & Hardy, 1947;Wallace, 193S), and Gerard and Siegel (1950) found no particular incidence of broken homes in the family history of their sample of schizophrenics.…”

Father absence and the personality development of the male child.

“…Rates of childhood father absence among adult patients classified as neurotic (Ingham, 1949;Madow & Hardy, 1947;Norton, 1952) and as schizophrenic (Da Silva, 1963;Oltman, McGarry, & Friedman, 1952;Wahl, 1954) are higher than among the general population. Gregory (1956) critically reviewed many of the relevant studies and emphasized some of the methodological pitfalls in comparisons involving the relative incidence of mental illness among father-present and father-absent individuals; lack of consideration of the possible effects of socioeconomic status is a major shortcoming of most of the studies.…”