Families and health interactions.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, psychologists of health have attempted to understand the relations between family dynamics and health. The aim of our study is not only to study relations inside families and couples (relations between family of origin, nuclear and ideal family, current and ideal couple) but also outside between families and couples and different health indicator (physical and mental health, consumption of medications, and frequency of medical consultations).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Twenty healthy subjects are included in a two years long longitudinal study. At baseline, subjects' age, gender, family composition, net income, chronic treatments, family dynamics (FACES III), Health Locus of Control (MHLC), and personality (NEO-FFI) are recorded.

RESULTS

The adaptability level that we experience in our current couple appears partially to be an inherited value of the adaptability that we had in our family of origin (r=0.694; p=0.026). Moreover, the closer we are to each other in our nuclear family, the closer and more adaptable is our couple (r=0.893; p=0.007). Cohesion in the nuclear family is correlated with a desire for even more cohesion in the ideal family (r=0.898; p=0.000) and in the ideal couple (r=0.732; p=0.016). The only mechanism that slows down this aspiration for "always more" cohesion is the cohesion that the current couple is experiencing. Some of these factors seem to affect health indicators: cohesion of the ideal family and of the family of origin as well as cohesion of the current couple have positive effects on health indicators whereas levels of adaptability of the ideal family and the current couple have negative effects on health indicators.

CONCLUSION

At T0 and T6 months, the level of physical health appears to be the more predictable variable. At time T0, a tree factors model of linear regression including cohesion of family of origin, and of the current couple, with adaptability of the ideal family explains 82.4% of the variance. At time T6months, nuclear family cohesion, account for 46.5% of the variance.