Dysfunctional family is the term describing a kind of family which is under too much stress and pressure because of the continuous conflict, misbehavior and abuse going on inside the family itself. Moreover, because these things have been going on repeatedly, the kids had the notion that this is just normal (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysfunctional_family, 2006). Parents and family members are proven to be dysfunctional if they have the following symptoms:
             Family members, more particularly the parents are in denial – they deny that they are having problems in the family
             Lack of empathy to and from each family members
             Parents that are inconsistent and unpredictable that they – husband and wife – could not understand each other and their kids don't understand them either
             Unclear boundaries on what each family member can do and ought not to do with each other
             Having extremes in conflict – by having either too much or too little fighting between family members
             Having an idea that the family must be socially isolated preventing each one to have relationships with outsiders
             Role reversals in a way that the kids are acting as if they are the parents that are responsible for the family (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2000)
             With the symptoms common to most members of dysfunctional families, the roles of the nurses are found to be very significant. Nurses are not solely tied to working with injuries or to clinical and/or hospital based patients. In addition to practicing in clinics and hospitals in metropolitan areas, nurse practitioners also deliver care in rural sites, inner cities, and other locations not adequately served by physicians, as well as to other populations, such as children in schools and the elderly. Many nurses work in pediatrics, family health, women's health, and other specialties and some have private practices (http://nursing.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm'site=http://w...