While practicing clinical social work, I provided therapy to individuals, groups, and families. I frequently heard from parents of both young and older children who struggled to understand how their family or child became so dysfunctional. As I explored the current and historical family dynamics with clients, parents often expressed that infants and young children couldn’t fully grasp the disruptive, fearful, violent, mean-spirited, or generally confusing behaviors within the household (Jabbari et al., 2023). It was not uncommon for clients to be unaware of the impact that negative behaviors or instability at home had on their children.

There is no perfect family, but it is crucial to recognize how these dynamics can impede children’s ability to grow up in healthy environments, which are essential for their overall development (Watson-Jolly, 2024). While children may lack the social-emotional experiences necessary for understanding harmful behavior, they possess an innate sensitivity to when things are amiss from the moment they are born, often reacting negatively to those unsettling feelings. Anger, joy, and fear are three distinct emotions from birth, as evidenced by universal facial expressions (Malik & Marwaha, 2022).

Family dynamics significantly influence health outcomes. Unhealthy family dynamics can lead to trauma and stress for children as they mature. This type of exposure, commonly referred to as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), is associated with an increased risk of developing physical and mental health issues. Specifically, ACEs heighten an individual’s risk of conditions such as heart, lung, or liver diseases, as well as depression and anxiety (Deighton et al., 2018).

While various types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) exist, typical examples include parental divorce, mental illness, criminal activity, emotional, sexual, or physical abuse, and drug abuse within the family. These experiences can manifest in different ways, with prevalent examples being parental divorce and criminal activity. Teenagers from unhealthy family dynamics are also more likely to engage in drug use and develop addictions (Trujillo et al., 2018).

In low-income family settings, role conflict—emotional conflict arising when one person fulfills multiple roles, resulting in clashing responsibilities—between parents and adolescents is correlated with teenage aggression. Conversely, mutuality, cohesion, and warmth protect against aggressive behavior (Smokowski et al., 2017).

Jacky Watson-Jolly

MSW

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