The Risks of Family Environment in Mental Health Problems
With the current lockdown, quarantine, and social distancing measures adopted around the world, it is safe to say that none of us will be leaving home anytime soon. On the positive side, staying at home for the past four months has given us the opportunity to reconnect with our family members by spending a lot more time together than usual. While the situation has been very challenging for people having no one to share their physical space with, there are also some who are struggling to cope with a mentally and emotionally disruptive family environment. Considering the fact that we have a roof over our heads, and are perfectly healthy and safe, the deteriorating impact such family dynamics can have on our mental health can seem less substantiated–although this most definitely isn’t the case.
Research in evolutionary and developmental psychology suggests that environmental context has directed conditional adaptive mechanisms through developmental plasticity. This means that humans can develop highly maladaptive behaviours and cognitions in response to harmful social environments, such as a dysfunctional household, despite the negative effects on an individual basis. [1] The Australian Institute of Family Studies states under their Family relationships and mental illness page the interpersonal nature of mental health issues; in that, almost every diagnosis of mental illness has a disruptive social outcome. This tells us that a close family member can project the negative symptoms of their illness onto other members, making this a risk factor for them developing their own mental health problems or disorders. [2]
A study showed the effects of family environment in the presence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in 8-17-year-old children. [3] Healthy family functioning factors such as harmony, cohesion, and communication can positively contribute to an individual’s emotional development. [4] Thus, one of the significant differences in family environment between families with a child diagnosed with MDD, and a family with no history of mental illness in close relatives, was limited cohesion and expressiveness, along with higher conflict variables in the former. [3] Similar results were also observed in children with other mood disorders such as bipolar. [5] As with most correlational studies, however, it is hard to determine whether detrimental family functioning can lead to childhood MDD or vice versa. Nonetheless, it is suggested that these two factors can have a bidirectional nature, where both factors can affect each other (Ogburn et al., 2010). [3] [6] (citations within these)
In relation to this, interesting results were observed when adolescents attending therapeutic schools were surveyed about their family environments, coping strategies, and emotional problems. There was a clear link found between poorer family involvement and functioning and limited “cognitive-restructuring” (ability to identify and change maladaptive thought patterns) and “emotion-focused support-seeking”. There was also an association between fewer coping strategies, such as the ones mentioned previously, and a higher occurrence of emotional problems. This further drives the point of how essential one’s family environment is in instilling emotional strength and skills in them. [7]
However, it is also important to notice that a poor family environment is enough to trigger the onset of a potentially serious problem. A sample survey of six-thousand participants was conducted in China to test the role of family environment in symptoms of depression in post adolescents, i.e. university students. The environmental factors were divided into hard family environments (family literacy and economic status) and soft family environments (parent-child relationship; family interaction, culture, and beliefs). As most Chinese students entering university would be left to deal with new people and situations on their own, far away from the safety of their tightly-knit family culture, it was suggested that family cohesion and conflict play an important role in determining the incidence of depressive symptoms. As hypothesized, soft environmental factors (especially lack of family cohesion) were more closely associated with depressive symptoms than hard environmental factors. [8]
Most of the research above highlights the tremendous impact a negative family environment can have on your mental health if taken to an extreme. The need for exploring family-based involvement and interventions for people with mental health problems, instead of a sole focus on the individual, in future research is also mentioned. What can be understood from this is the importance of communication. This is why it is imperative to identify if you are going through a difficult time with your family members and take action. Lea Waters AM, a psychology professor at the University of Melbourne, mentions that it is vital to draw out a “family contract”: talk about your concerns and challenges and see how each person can improve upon them. [9]
At the same time, Amie M. Gordan, Ph.D., writes that fantasizing about “a perfect family time” in such extraordinary circumstances might hinder your chances of actually working towards a functional one. She also speaks about the need to create structure by setting reasonable goals for yourself with having less time for your mind to “wander off” to be more engaged and present in the moment–whether you are working or spending time with family. During times of conflict, it is important sometimes to give your family the benefit of the doubt instead of jumping to conclusions and hitting pause on issues by providing both of you time to reflect. [10] Though this dynamic wouldn’t work as well with family members who are toxic, it is necessary to, again, have honest communication, set clear boundaries, and not be afraid to be independent although this might garner disapproval. Most essentially, it is important to seek professional help when things don’t seem to be looking up for you. [11]
References
[1] Ellis, B., & Bjorklund, D. (2012). Beyond mental health: An evolutionary analysis of development under risky and supportive environmental conditions: An introduction to the special section. Developmental Psychology, 48(3), 591-597. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027651
[2] Child Family Community Australia. Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2020). Retrieved 15 July 2020, from https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/family-relationships-and-mental-illness-impacts-and-service-responses/export.
[3] Ogburn, K., Sanches, M., Williamson, D., Caetano, S., Olvera, R., & Pliszka, S. et al. (2010). Family Environment and Pediatric Major Depressive Disorder. Psychopathology, 43(5), 312-318. https://doi.org/10.1159/000319400
[4] Cuffe, S., McKeown, R., Addy, C., & Garrison, C. (2005). Family and Psychosocial Risk Factors in a Longitudinal Epidemiological Study of Adolescents. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(2), 121-129. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200502000-00004
[5] Du Rocher Schudlich, T., Youngstrom, E., Calabrese, J., & Findling, R. (2008). The Role of Family Functioning in Bipolar Disorder in Families. Journal Of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(6), 849-863. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9217-9
[6] Restifo, K., & Bögels, S. (2009). Family processes in the development of youth depression: Translating the evidence to treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(4), 294-316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.02.005
[7] Rodriguez, E., Donenberg, G., Emerson, E., Wilson, H., Brown, L., & Houck, C. (2014). Family environment, coping, and mental health in adolescents attending therapeutic day schools. Journal Of Adolescence, 37(7), 1133-1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.07.012
[8] Yu, Y., Yang, X., Yang, Y., Chen, L., Qiu, X., & Qiao, Z. et al. (2015). The Role of Family Environment in Depressive Symptoms among University Students: A Large Sample Survey in China. PLOS ONE, 10(12), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0143612
[9] Ribeiro, C. (2020). The family lockdown guide: how to emotionally prepare for coronavirus quarantine. The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/the-family-lockdown-guide-how-to-emotionally-prepare-for-coronavirus-quarantine.
[10] Gordon, Ph.D., A. (2020). How Not to Kill Your Family During a Lockdown. Psychology Today. Retrieved 19 July 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-you-and-me/202003/how-not-kill-your-family-during-lockdown.
[11] Faubion, D. (2020). Toxic Family Dynamics: The Signs And How To Cope With Them. Regain. Retrieved 19 July 2020, from https://www.regain.us/advice/family/toxic-family-dynamics-the-signs-and-how-to-cope-with-them/.
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