Family dynamics and child abuse and neglect in three Finnish communities

The purpose of this study was to describe family dynamics of Finnish families in which there is abuse or neglect of a child in that family. One adult from 41 families with recognized child abuse/neglect completed the Family Dynamics Measure II (FDM II) consisting of six dimensions of family life, and answered questions about problems, changes and illnesses. Nurses and social workers in community health care and social agencies identified potential subjects in their agencies and collected data. Four of the six dimensions of the FDM II reached statistical significance (p =.05) with child age and number of children, education, marital status, and age of respondent. They are: Flexibility vs. rigidity, Stability vs. disorganization, Clear vs. distorted communication, and Role reciprocity vs. role conflict. FDM II is useful in identifying several of the less positive family dynamics dimensions in abuse:neglect families. Conclusions for clinical management cannot be drawn at this time.