Functioning of the Families of Students With Behavioral Problems

Abstract

As family functioning is an important aspect in the development of a child, and later an adolescent, if it is not adequate, the conditions for the emergence of various adolescent problems are created. Conduct disorder is one of the first adolescent problems that we can encounter in their development. That is why the subject of research is the family functioning of students of higher grades of elementary school (grades VII and VIII), who were reprimanded by the head of the department or the department council: for "increased parental supervision", due to disruption of classes, a large number of absences from classes or participation in peer violence. The goal of the research is to define family functioning as a key cause of the manifestation of problematic behavior in adolescents, from which the pedagogical implications of the work arise, and the use of the obtained results for the subsequent structuring of counseling work with parents from preventive programs. Questionnaires were used in the work: on demographic data and FACES IV. The general demographic data questionnaire compiled for research purposes contained the following set of questions about age, place of birth, education, employment, marital status, living conditions, material condition, and data on the presence of psychopathology in the immediate and extended family. FACES IV - Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale is based on three concepts that, in the opinion of the author of the model, are necessary for understanding a functional family: cohesiveness, flexibility, and communication. In the last revision of the model, a satisfaction scale was added. Eight scales were developed, six of which measure family cohesiveness and flexibility, and the remaining two assess family communication and family satisfaction. The research group consisted of 30 parental pairs of adolescent children who received the measure, which is pronounced by the Teachers' Council, of "increased parental supervision" evenly distributed by place of residence. The general hypothesis that problematic family functioning is the generator of the cause of problematic behavior of adolescent children in the school environment, which is why they received the measure of "increased parental supervision", has been fully confirmed.