Factors associated with family function in school children: Case-control study

BACKGROUND: Family functionality is that which promotes the integral development of its members, as well as a favorable state of health in them; fulfilling the basic parameters of adaptation, participation, growth, affection, and resources. Family dysfunction is understood as the failure to comply with any of these functions due to an alteration in one or more of the subsystems. OBJECTIVE: There is little research on variables related to family functioning with a case-control design, for this reason, we present the family functioning of school students, identify variables found to be related to family functioning, and describe a model of variables related to family dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analytical study of cases and controls. The sample was made up of 290 students. The APGAR scale was used to identify family dysfunction. The statistical processing was done in Epi-Info 7.0 and STATA 14. THE VARIABLES THAT WERE CONSIDERED WERE: Municipality, area, age, sex, school grade, mother's age, disability, and displacement. RESULTS: The factors associated with adequate family function were: displacement, (OR = 0.17, CI: 0.03–0.99). You are followed, your parents pay attention and listen to you (OR = 0.25, CI: 0.08–0.74), you talk to your mother every day (OR = 0.35 CI: 0.16–0.74), you spend free time with your parents (OR = 0.41, CI: 0.20–0.86), play sports at least once a week (OR = 0.42, CI = 0.20–0.91), and finally, attend religious services (OR = 0.51, CI: 0.29–0.90). While the factors associated with family dysfunction were: your parents punish you by forbidding you things (OR = 2.98, CI: 1.32–6.71) and you have friends close to where you live followed by an (OR = 2.60, CI: 1.13–5.96). CONCLUSIONS: Dysfunctionality was evident in the four municipalities of the Valley. Among the main factors associated with dysfunctionality was punishment by parents for forbidding things and having friends near the schoolchild's home.