Percepción de la persona con obesidad sobre su dinámica familiar, Cuenca. 2016

Abstract

Background: When analyzing the family, it is not a question of adopting the concept of Western culture, which indicates a group formed by husband, wife and children1. The family is seen as a system, parents and children are subsystems that interact2. Many times this part is invisible. Different disciplines have studied the family but the results they present are fragmented3. It is not analyzed in depth the family dynamics, in its structure, its typology, hierarchy, roles, holons, triangulations, relationships, repetitive patterns, functionality. People with obesity are one of the populations with physical, social and psychological problems that force the family system to adjust to new circumstances. Objective: To describe the perception of people with obesity about their family dynamics. Methodology: Qualitative phenomenological study, the answers were categorized in family stereotype, life events, difficulty to the displacement, gender role, patriarchal authority, false support. An in-depth interview was applied to the index person (with obesity), through the application of familiogram and FF-SIL test. The sample was saturated with 23 interviews. Results: We found that the family structure of people with obesity is of different type, presenting more nuclear families. Family dysfunction excelled in people with severe obesity. The interviewees' discourse allowed us to identify consolidated social representations. Conclusions: Obesity is a repetitive pattern, with defined roles, with a gender focus, which makes it difficult to lose weight because family members do not provide real support