Extended Family and Mental Health

Extended Family and Mental Health

In the world today, many people have been reported to be experiencing different forms of mental disorders. Mental disorder can be defined as the deviation of the brain from performing some of its normal functions. When people experience mental malfunctioning, such people are usually termed as mentally challenged. Some of the mental disorders include depression, anxiety disorder, and stress disorder. Most complications experienced during adulthood often develop at the pubic stage. Studies have shown that both genetic and environmental factors cause both diseases. One of the ecological factors that are known to cause psychological problems is family ties. Some of the factors associated with family ties include privacy and jealousy. The two elements can adversely affect the irrational behaviors of family members. Jealousy can make members of a family have low esteem when they compare with other families. Besides, a lack of privacy can also torment an individual in various ways. However, some people argue that living in extended families can also be beneficial to a child’s psychology. One importance is that it gives a child the required exposure to relatives. However, exposure can sometimes lead to family feuds. Therefore, this paper argues that the living of an Arab family in a multi-family home leads to psychological problems for the family.

In most Arab communities, the creation of a multi-family home is usually adored by many. Various benefits are associated with multi-family dwellings. One importance of multi-family homes is the creation of a feeling of togetherness and unity among the family members. However, such a multi-family model can create some problems for the members. Such issues can make some members of a given family develop psychological disorders. For instance, sharing a house among many family members may create some form of discomfort among some parents. The resultant effect of the troubles is pressure directed to parents. Each family usually develops its standards of living that are dissimilar to other families. Besides, different parents have different methodologies they use in raising their children. Therefore, by sharing a single house, parents are denied opportunities to practice their standards of living. Besides, the parents end up are also denied the opportunity to raise their kids according to their methodology (Jameel, 2019).

In such a case, such parents may face several accounts of psychological disorders. A case study back on some families showed that multi-family homes could lead to mental disorders. The respondents in the survey, who were from congested families, acknowledged that their status had a high percentage, 93%, of causing depression, anxiety, or stress disorders (Reynolds,2005). By virtue that they are different families living under one roof, the families will be forced to conform to one particular practice of the house. Families with different methods, on many occasions, will disagree with each other. Therefore, such events may cause discomfort, which in turn leads to frustration among the family heads. Studies show that feuds that arise between families in a crowded home can affect the personality of a child. The development of a person’s character usually occurs at the pubic level. Therefore, when families are in constant feuds, the nature developed by the child is that of violence. Studies show that about 17% of adolescents in sub families usually express social and emotional problems (Mooney, Oliver, & Smith, 2009). However, those children with their biological parents show a decreasing percentage concerning social and emotional issues. Studies have shown that such kids have social and emotional problems rate of ten.

Additionally, living in multi-family homes can lead to unwanted jealousy among the members hailing from different families. In a multi-family home, the families inhabiting the house are usually from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Some families can be from a high social class, while others can be from a low social level. In such a home, comparisons may occur. The similarities can often happen between children hailing from different social statuses. In such a case, people can conduct unfair comparisons on children. In most instances, appraisals are done on those children from high social class, while demeaning those from the low social level are demeaned. Besides, the comparisons on children can also be made concerning the age of the family heads. In such a case, children whose parents are older, for instance, older brother, are favored in the comparison over others. Such comparisons are known to cause psychological problems to the children who are affected. According to Mullen and Martin (1994), once a child has viewed another child as more superior, the child will develop a feeling of being inferior. When an adolescent has developed the feeling of being inferior, the child will be disturbed with such sentiments. Studies indicate that the child might carry such inferior feelings to maturity. It is such feelings that would make an adolescent have psychological problems. Besides, a child from a low social class may develop some jealousy toward another child from high social rank. Researches indicate that envy is not suitable for young adults. Jealousy usually has some detrimental effect on the life of a kid. For instance, a jealous child can develop some body imbalance and difficulties of social nature. According to research, some of the challenges of social life can include but not limited to shyness, fear, sucking fingers, and excessive movement (Xiang, Wang, & Guan, 2018).

On the contrary, some people argue that living in multi-family homes at times can be very beneficial to parents. One of the benefits is that families who are a part of extended families develop strong family bonds (Secureteen. 2017). Usually, the members of the extended family are typically bound by the same ancestral origin. Therefore, coming together under a single roof will be a source of strength to people of the same hereditary descent. Besides, living together under a single roof will increase emotional attachments among the family members. The intense emotional attachments will be due to constant communication that will be transpiring between the family members. Families that live a distance from each other do not communicate or visit each other. As a result, the much-needed family bond is usually lost. However, the arguments for multi-family homes are typically wrong. Studies show that families that stay in multi-family dwellings are less productive(Secureteen. 2017). The families become less productive because they will be practicing the same lifestyle. Therefore, families that live apart are more productive than those living in multi-family homes.

Additionally, one benefit of multi-family homes that are eluded is that there is cost-sharing in raising children. In the argument, it is believed that raising a family as an individual might be quite tricky. However, by having an extended family, the cost of raising a family will be drastically reduced. The reductions in building prices will be due to shared responsibilities among the heads of the various families. Also, most extended families are usually based in the homes of grandparents. It is believed that these grandparents will, in one way or the other, help the young parents in raising their children. The grandparents may provide both material and financial support to the young families that reside in their compounds. Besides, childcare support, the children are also believed to be offering emotional support to the aged and return they spend quality time with their grandparents. In most cases, such older people usually feel lonely. Therefore, their grandchildren indeed offer them emotional support. However, the argument is disputed by the regular conflicts the families living under one roof usually engage in (Rajeev, 2017, 0ctober 17). The constant feuds typically have a negative impact on the children who typically develop under these families. One of the adverse effects is that a child’s personality may be damaged. During the conflicts, children are often present. The adolescents might not be in a position to understand the nature of disputes. As a result, such conflicts will leave them disturbed, mentally, and emotionally (ADAA, 2019). Therefore, experts postulate that such children will become frustrated in their adulthood life.

On the whole, the family is the future of society and the country, so it is essential to build a connected family. It is also necessary to avoid anything that affects the happiness of the family. Besides, the participation of the family to other families in the home has many disadvantages. Therefore, living each family in their own home leads to the complete bonding of families. The perfect bonding with each other means there is a reduction in the chances of disagreement will. Thus, the mental health of the family will be at its best. Besides, the paper has demonstrated that living of an Arab family in a multi-family home leads to psychological problems for the family. Living with an extended family leads to certain people carrying the burdens, putting them under stress. Also, Living with an extended family leads to many comparisons between family members, which frustrates the individual and leads to a lack of self-confidence. Ignoring this theory leads to increased pressures on the family and thus may affect the psychology of individuals. Hence, reducing productivity and, therefore, harmful to the level of society because the family is the basis of society. Approximately 18% of children and adolescents in the world have mental disorders or problems. Therefore, if providing a separate home for the family will reduce this proportion, if only a little, it is necessary to do this step.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. (2019). Retrieved from https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics

Jameel, H. (2019). البيوت تساهم في تشكيل شخصية ساكنيها. Retrieved from

https://www.albayan.ae/our-homes/2010-10-13-1.292706

Mooney, A., Oliver, C., & Smith, M. (2009, June). Impact of Family Breakdown on Children’s Well-Being. Retrieved from  https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/11165/1/DCSF-RR113.pdf

Mullen, P., & Martin, J. (1994). Jealousy: A Community Study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 164(1), 35-43. doi:10.1192/bjp.164.1.35

Rajeev. (2017, 0ctober 17). The modern ‘joint’ family. Retrieved from https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/community/the-modern-joint-family-1.1913949

Reynolds, L. (2005). Full house? How overcrowded housing affects families. Retrieved from     https://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/39532/Full_house_overcrowding_effects.pdf

Secureteen. (2017, November 06).Here are the Benefits of Living with An Extended Family. Retrieved from https://www.secureteen.com/extended-family/what-are-the-benefits-of-living-with-an-extended-family/

Xiang, Y., Wang, W., & Guan, F. (2018). The Relationship between Child Maltreatment and Dispositional Envy and the Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and Social Support in Young Adults. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1054. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01054