Family Communication Literature Review

Introduction

This study aimed to focus on both physical chronic illnesses and mental chronic illnesses and their effects on family communication, particularly surrounding the diagnosis of the illnesses.

Family has a large impact on the perceptions of illness. In recent times, the publicity around individuals with chronic illnesses, both mental and physical, has increased dramatically in the media. From the production of films about those with physical chronic illnesses to celebrity diagnosis of a mental illness, illness is something our society is beginning to talk about more frequently. However there are certain stigmas attached to these illnesses that make it harder for patients and their families to cope with their situation. Most often

This study will explore both chronic physical and mental illness in the context of the family, focusing on marriage, parent-child relationships, and the use of narratives. This will help assess the problems that come with illness, and find out what happens to family communication when a family member gets diagnosed with a chronic illness.

Literature Review Chronic physical illness and chronic mental illnesses are reviewed separately here due to the tremendous differences in the two. In this study they will be compared against one another to cross analyze the differences and similarities in how the family member is treated depending upon their type of illness.

Chronic Physical Illness

Chronic physical illnesses vary in types and intensity, but have one characteristic in common: they recur throughout time, usually at random intervals. The uncertainty that comes along with a diagnosis along these lines can greatly effect family communication and

Marriage is the basis of most families in many cultures. Keeping the marital bond strong could be very difficult in the face of a chronic physical illness. A chronic physical illness could potentially change the daily lives and interactions of the entire marital relationship. It is important to discuss the communication that occurs around theses illnesses in order to understand how those who have one have been treated since their diagnosis based on research already conducted around similar communication processes. Badr and Acitelli (2005) found that in couples that used relationship talk, or talking about the nature and direction of the relationship, chronically ill couples had more benefit than a couple that did not include someone who had a chronic physical illness did. This literature proves that in a situation where a spouse is chronically ill, it is important to use communication to make one another aware of certain things such as how one felt about a situation, or what one needs or expects from their partners. Talking about the state of the relationship can be helpful for chronically ill people to express fears in relation to their illness and the marriage. Berg and Upchurch (2007) suggested that collaborative talk is the type of communication that is commonly correlated with positive results. This shows that it is important for married couples to talk about their situation together to keep their relationship strong since these tactics have been proven to be