Wholly Healthy: Family and Health

It’s hard to separate opinion and evidence. I know, because for many years I looked at my patients in the emergency room and wondered what made them different. And one of the things that seemed to show up over and over was the fact that children and adults in stable families seemed to be physically and emotionally healthier. Of course, that could have been my own bias. I believe in the family, therefore I was more likely to view those patients in families as healthier. Nevertheless, the pattern seemed to repeat itself, year after year.

I frequently sense the chaos in the lives of many of the children and parents who come to me with injuries or illnesses. The children often live with grandparents or foster parents or in homes where one biological parent lives with a series of partners. Many of them, adults and children alike, face lives where there’s never enough money and where social and emotional dramas are commonplace (as are drug and alcohol abuse). When I witness their emotional breakdowns in the face of stress, fear or pain and contrast it with patients in more consistent living environments, I know that the biblical model works. And it works even though it seems as if “traditional” is the most insulting word the secular world can use these days.

A quick visit to the website www.FamilyFacts.org is very revealing and shows that tradition and science intersect nicely when we consider research into the health benefits of family. There is compelling data on families in which a married father and mother raise their children together or in single parent or step-families in which at least one biological parent is present. The data suggests that this arrangement provides for optimal health and safety. Archived on the FamilyFacts website are links to numerous scholarly articles on the benefits of family. And in the collected research (which barely scratches the surface), several things become apparent.

For instance, children in the above-listed arrangements have, on average, higher academic achievement and better emotional health. Children in families that have dinner together regularly are at lower risk for substance abuse. Adolescents living with two married parents appear less likely to engage in sexual activity. Children living in non-intact families are more likely to be exposed to domestic violence. On the other hand, mothers who are married (or have been married) have a lower likelihood of being victims of domestic violence than those never married or who are cohabiting.

Finally, to the extent that we all know that poverty is linked to poorer health (due to lack of access to health care and proper nutrition), numbers derived from the U.S. Census suggest that a child raised by both parents has an 80 percent lower likelihood of poverty.

There are lots of things we do for our loved ones to promote health, from insisting our spouses have regular doctor visits to getting the kids their vaccinations. But we mustn’t ever forget that one of the most important things we can do for the health and welfare of our children (and their parents) is to marry, stay married and raise children in a loving home with one mom and one dad. The arrangement may be traditional and may seem old-fashioned, but it works. And this is one place where science and tradition can go hand in hand for the good of the kids and the good of the nation.