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Healing Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder pp 47–60Cite as

Dysfunctional Family Systems

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Part of the Essential Clinical Social Work Series book series (ECSWS)

Abstract

Many people hope that once they leave the dysfunction of their family home, they will leave their childhood problems behind. However, adult children of dysfunctional families have been found to develop deficits in problem-solving communication in addition to establishing and maintaining trust in close relationships. This chapter provides a description of what constitutes a dysfunctional family system before exploring how dysfunction can lead to pathological accommodation. The role of communication deviance and behavioral abnormalities within the family system is reviewed. This chapter evaluates current research exploring the impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have on identity, adult relationships, and social functioning. Finally, the chapter explores how dysfunction within a family system can be measured using the ACE Questionnaire as a clinical tool.

Keywords

  • Dysfunctional families
  • Pathological accommodation
  • Adverse childhood experiences
  • Child abuse
  • Complex trauma
  • Addiction
  • Communication
  • Domestic violence

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Gillian O’Shea Brown

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  1. Gillian O’Shea Brown
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O’Shea Brown, G. (2021). Dysfunctional Family Systems. In: Healing Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Essential Clinical Social Work Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61416-4_4

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