Integrative Review for Factors Related to Family Functioning in the Family Living with the Children with Thalassemia

Abstract

Integrative Review for Factors Related to Family Functioning in the Family Living with the Children with Thalassemia F amily is a crucial support system for all family members, especially when faced with chronic illnesses including thalassemia. 1 Thalassemia is an inherited disease that requires continuous care. The standard treatments for children living with thalassemia are folic acid supplements, blood transfusion, iron chelation therapy, and splenectomy or stem cell transplantation in selected cases. Children living with thalassemia inevitably encounter the immense impacts of this inherited disease and its treatment, as well as needing to continue receiving care from their parents throughout their life. This situation seems likely to be the challenge event that triggers the adaptation of the entire family to meet the increased demand and the complex need of children living with thalassemia. 2 The goal for caring for children living with thalassemia focuses on the children adapting well to their illness, and to be fulfilled with the feeling of responsiveness from their family to allow them to meet their developmental needs as much as possible. However, this depends upon the limitations of thalassemia. This reflects the necessity of family functioning at a high level as an important mechanism to drive family tasks to reach those goals. Family functioning refers to the capability of the whole family to maintain the function of the entire family, consisting of problem-solving, communication, role, affective involvement, affective responsiveness, and behavior control in order to provide a setting for the social, psychological, and biological development and maintenance of family members. 3 In other words, family functioning shows the adaptive ability of the whole family in terms of how the family manages the care of children living with thalassemia and the extent to which they are able to incorporate thalassemia into their daily lifes. 3,4 By achieving a high level of family functioning, this will result in the family providing the best care for children living with thalassemia resulting in a healthy well-being for children. 5 However, there is widespread recognition that caring for

Balance of Family Caring in Families with Chronically Ill Children: A Concept Analysis

“…This challenging event triggers the adaptation of the whole family to meet the increased demands and sophisticated needs of chronically ill children. 36,41 Fortunately, if the family can meet all of the criteria or attributes of balance in family caring, the family will obtain the consequences of balance in family caring, namely, effective family functioning, improved family well-being, and the child's quality of life. 15,37 Family functioning is an important mechanism in driving family tasks in terms of promoting children's adaptation to their illness and allowing them to achieve their developmental tasks as much as possible.…”

“…15,37 Family functioning is an important mechanism in driving family tasks in terms of promoting children's adaptation to their illness and allowing them to achieve their developmental tasks as much as possible. 41 Family functioning involves the competency of the whole family to keep their function as a whole, resulting in the family being able to manage the care for chronically ill children, and being capable of assimilating chronic conditions into their daily lives. 37,41 Achieving a high level of family functioning will lead to higher family well-being which refers to the degree to which a family is adjusted in terms of concerns about health, tension, cheerfulness, anger, fear, sadness, and general concerns.…”

“…41 Family functioning involves the competency of the whole family to keep their function as a whole, resulting in the family being able to manage the care for chronically ill children, and being capable of assimilating chronic conditions into their daily lives. 37,41 Achieving a high level of family functioning will lead to higher family well-being which refers to the degree to which a family is adjusted in terms of concerns about health, tension, cheerfulness, anger, fear, sadness, and general concerns. 42 Ultimately, the family will be able to provide the best care for chronically ill children resulting in a better quality of life for the children.…”

Impacts of Perinatal Death on Women and Families: A Qualitative Systematic Review

“…that reacts and adapts to a bereavement in diverse ways, which can be either normal adaptation or maladaptation depending on various influencing factors that the family system interacts with. [10][11] Previous studies have illustrated how PD impacts women and families suffering from intense feelings of grief, helplessness, self-blame, and stigmatization, and people remain unable to express grief openly because PD is perceived as disenfranchised grief. 12 In the systematic review and meta-analysis by Smythe et al 13 PD affect not only women but also their couples and may have a long-lasting negative impact on existing children.…”