The Psychological Well-being of the Modern Family as the Main Factor in Children’s Health

The purpose of the study was to examine the styles of parent-child relationships in families of frequently ill children, as well as children's ideas about the quality of interpersonal relationships in their families, as the most important indicators of the psychological well-being of a family with a frequently ill child. The study involved 50 frequently ill primary school children (average age 9.2±1.4 years) and 50 rarely ill primary school children (average age 8.9±1.2 years), along with their parents (50 participants in each group). The findings revealed that only 12% of frequently ill children viewed their family relationships as positive, which is significantly lower than in the group of rarely ill children. The most common assessments from frequently ill children described their family dynamics as anxious. Compared to the healthy group, frequently ill children were more likely to describe their family relationships as conflict-ridden, leading to feelings of inadequacy. Additionally, parents of frequently ill children exhibited higher levels of dysfunctional parenting styles, such as overprotection, underprotection, indulgence, excessive demands and prohibitions (domination), and inconsistency in parenting. These findings indicate a general disharmony in family relationships among families with frequently ill children. The results underscore the importance of conducting further psychological research on families raising frequently ill children, with the aim of developing scientifically-based psychological support programs. The authors emphasize that families with frequently ill children represent a significant social and psychological challenge, and that psychological science and practice in Russia are well-equipped to address this issue.