Mental Health in the Family

The family is considered one of the most important factors in social upbringing. It is the first representative of culture and one of the strongest groups influencing human behavior. It also contributes the most to supervising the child’s social and family development, shaping their personality, and guiding their behavior.

The family also has an important social and psychological function, because it is the child’s first social school and the first and most influential factor in shaping the child’s behavior in a social way. We all know that the early years of a child’s life affect psychological adjustment or maladjustment, as children are highly influenced by painful experiences and traumatic events.

The Role of the Family in a Child’s Mental Health

The characteristics of the family are very important because it is the first social unit in which the child grows up, and it is responsible for the child’s social upbringing. It is also the ideal model of the primary group with which the child interacts face to face. The child identifies with its members and considers their behavior a model to follow, which especially affects their mental health.

The family uses several psychological methods during the child’s social upbringing, such as material and moral rewards, material and moral punishment, and participation in different situations. These methods aim to teach behavior and responses, direct guidance, and learning.

Several studies have been conducted on the role of the family in the child’s social upbringing process and its impact on behavior. These studies showed the following:

1. Within the same society, there are differences in social upbringing between one class and another, and between one family and another. This means that lower social classes may need a degree of tolerance in the social upbringing process in order to achieve sound mental health.
2. The feeding system followed by the mother with the child during the stages of growth, especially during breastfeeding, affects the child’s movement and activity. Enough opportunity should be given for sucking during breastfeeding, feeding times should be organized, harsh weaning should be avoided, and weaning should take place at the right time and gradually.
3. The method of toilet training during childhood is linked to shyness, as well as to carefulness, order, and discipline later in life. Therefore, parents should be moderate when training the child in this area.
4. The healthier the child’s social upbringing is, the less rejection they experience from their parents. When parents are more sympathetic and frustration at home decreases, the child’s tendency toward aggression also decreases. Social upbringing also has an effect on the tendency toward aggression and its control among individuals.
5. Excessive protection by parents, along with strictness in breastfeeding and weaning systems, may lead to dependence on others. Raising children in institutions may also make them more inclined toward dullness, less willing to engage in social interaction, more dependent, and more in need of others’ attention and affection.
6. A middle or higher socioeconomic level, which means financial or economic stability, is better for the child’s mental health.
7. Premarital counseling is a necessary and important process to ensure the mental health of both spouses and the entire family.