The Friedman Family Assessment Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Friedman Family Assessment Model - Essay Example The family acts as a system within a larger social framework, and each family belonging to this framework employs a different approach to health care provision. Every family acts as a support system for its members and transmits fundamental elements of culture to every member (Spector, 2004). Some of these beliefs and structures may provide challenges or barriers to types of health provisions and treatments. The Morrison family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, Luke, Matt, Katie, and Bo. Luke was the eldest followed by Matt, Kate, and Bo was the youngest. The family lived in Crow Lake region in Ontario, Canada. Mr. Morrison worked at a local bank, and the children were in school. Luke had secured a scholarship in the university and had been admitted to study teaching. Matt had excelled in his high school and had secured a slot in the university. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison had gone shopping in preparation for Matt’s admission in the university. On their way back, they were involve d in an accident and died. The children were orphaned, and Luke had to decline the scholarship in order to take care of the family. Matt also impregnated Marie, a neighbor’s daughter, and could not join the university. Kate was successful in her education and became a professor at the university in Toronto. FFAM has six assessment categories, but the two most relevant to the Morrison family are family stress, coping, and adaptation and family functions (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003). The two categories are significant due to the stressful conditions subjected to the children after the death of their parents. The children had to look after themselves and received a little help from the neighbors. The family functions were also changed after the tragedy. Luke and Matt became the fathers of Bo and Katie. They work in the fields in order to finance the education of their sisters and meet other family needs. Family Stress, Coping and Adaptation Family stressors, strengths, and perceptions This category is necessary since the death affected their normal living conditions, caused different perceptions, and the children utilized their strengths to counter the stressors. The children have to take care of each other. The demise occurs when they were still young; Luke is 18 years and Bo is still a toddler. The death causes stress among the children, especially Luke and Matt who were left with parenthood responsibilities. The Morrison family has a motto â€Å"thou shalt not emote† that helps them counter the effects of the stress (Lawson, 2002). The motto helps Kate suppress her emotions throughout her education, which makes her uninterested in relationships. The death of parents is a leading stress factor in families, especially when children are left without caretakers (Holtslander, 2005). Matt also experiences a setback when Marie becomes pregnant, and her father commits suicide. Matt is forced to take care of her and moves to her father’s house . He has to cope with the stressful condition of taking care of his family and helping Luke look after Kate and Bo. The two brothers are responsible for educating and providing health care to Kate and Bo. The family derives its strength from the decision to stick together, look for jobs, and get help from the nei