There's no doubt that families are an important resource for helping children recover from trauma, but there has been little agreement about exactly which characteristics are important. Researchers looking at that question recently analyzed 31 studies surveying more than 8600 children, many of whom had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They found that children in families with high conflict were more likely to suffer from PTSD. On the other hand, children with various positive elements were less likely to have the diagnosis. Those positive elements included family warmth, such as family members' listening to each other. Other important traits were positive family communication, family cohesion, and family norms.
The researchers suggested "that interventions should be focused on targeting specific elements of family function." Government and private youth-serving organizations should take a long look at how they can support families in developing some of these positive traits.
Of course, as in all mental health studies, correlation is not the same as causation. Families are not recipes, where we add 3 parts love to 2 parts patience, bake for six months and have a functioning family. Family members, including and especially children who have suffered trauma, make their own decisions about whether to accept or reject family members. But youth organizations may be able to help increase the odds for the families they serve.
These studies can help point the way to increase those odds. We can work on helping families increase family warmth, such as paying attention and listening to each other. We can teach skills for family communication and the fundamentals of nurturing structure to kids. None of these is easy, but making progress on them can help the kids we serve.
Among elements of family function, family affect (r = −0.251), communication (r = −0.221), and cohesion (r = −0.184) were associated with less PTSD, whereas family conflict (r = 0.228) was associated with more PTSD in children.
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