Nurses: Who came from a dysfuntional family?

[kstec]

I am just curious as to how many of us came from a dysfunctional family. When I say dysfunctional, I mean children of alcholics, drug addicts, mental illness, child abuse whether it be physical or emotional. I read years ago that 75% of all nurses come from this type of environment. Is it true? Let me be the first to say "Yes"

[aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN]

Interesting. I have a family hx of alcohol abuse on both sides and drug abuse (heavy) on my Mom's side. I also have a family hx of mental problems on both sides. I know my Mom has issues, either bipolar or depression not sure which it would be. She admitted herself to a psych hospital with a push from my grandparents, when she was in nursing school (never graduated) and I was about 5 years old. She was there for appx 3 weeks. I also suspect my mom of using drugs. I know she did in her past but I think it still carries on today.

Somehow I ended up normal........no mental problems or abuse problems, never used drugs or anything like that. Wierd.......................

[tutored]

Does anyone know a family that ISN"T dysfunctional? I don't

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

The reason I started this thread is to prove or disprove the study. I too came from a family of drug addicts and alcholics. My mother was a prescription drug addict and alcholic who overdosed at the age of 49 and that was the overdose that did her in. I do not know who my father is and the rest of my family also abuse drugs and alcohol. I was the first person to graduate high school and the first in my family to have a child after I go married. I'm not judging if you did it different, it was just a personal goal of mine. In a round about way I have asked several nurses that I work with regarding their upbringing and most meet the dysfunctional criteria. The reason it interests me so much is who else would volunteer to go into a career where you clean shi_, clean urine, suction trachs, work short staffed, work for low pay (alot of us), work nights, weekends and holidays with having a little something wrong with us. I know with me, that everytime I make someone feel better it gives me a certain gratification that nothing else does. I always cheer for the underdog and have a dier need to try and make everything okay. All I can say is I commend all of us who broke the cycle and became nurses for whatever reason. We have to be the coolest of cool individuals whether you be a CNA, LPN or RN and up.

And it's ironic that when people ask me if I ever plan on becoming a RN, because I'm a LPN, in my heart of heart I know that I'm the only person in my family to even go to college, so I usually say maybe, but I'm very proud of my accomplishment. When I compare myself to my family, I rank up with being the president of the U.S. in my accomplishments.

Thing is, this cannot support or falsify the study. Those with dysfunctional backgrounds are much likely to respond to this sort of thread than those without.

[justme1972]

When my husband and I watch Dr. Phil or Oprah and they are featuring a particularly dysfunctional family, we look at each other, smile and say, "We can top that!"

The sad part is, most of them were healthcare professionals. They put on a front for a show when they got together with relatives or friends, but living at home was not fun.

[NurseCard, ADN]

Yeah, you may have wanted to title this thread "Did you come from a dysfunctional family, or a "normal" one, and why?" Because the way the thread has gone, most people possibly feel *bad* for saying "well, you know, I came from quite a happy family". Possibly. Just a handful have stepped up and said such.

The reason I started this thread is to prove or disprove the study. I too came from a family of drug addicts and alcholics. My mother was a prescription drug addict and alcholic who overdosed at the age of 49 and that was the overdose that did her in. I do not know who my father is and the rest of my family also abuse drugs and alcohol. I was the first person to graduate high school and the first in my family to have a child after I go married. I'm not judging if you did it different, it was just a personal goal of mine. In a round about way I have asked several nurses that I work with regarding their upbringing and most meet the dysfunctional criteria. The reason it interests me so much is who else would volunteer to go into a career where you clean shi_, clean urine, suction trachs, work short staffed, work for low pay (alot of us), work nights, weekends and holidays with having a little something wrong with us. I know with me, that everytime I make someone feel better it gives me a certain gratification that nothing else does. I always cheer for the underdog and have a dier need to try and make everything okay. All I can say is I commend all of us who broke the cycle and became nurses for whatever reason. We have to be the coolest of cool individuals whether you be a CNA, LPN or RN and up.

And it's ironic that when people ask me if I ever plan on becoming a RN, because I'm a LPN, in my heart of heart I know that I'm the only person in my family to even go to college, so I usually say maybe, but I'm very proud of my accomplishment. When I compare myself to my family, I rank up with being the president of the U.S. in my accomplishments.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Even so - people are more likely to respond if it's related to pain (dysfunction).

[Dreamer-RN]

I am not a nurse yet (soon to be nursing student).

Yes, this holds true for me. My father abused alcohol and used drugs while I was a child. In addition to this, he emotionally and physically abused my mother. He still abuses alcohol to this day. Fortunately, my mother finally divorced him (11 years ago). I told her I would not put with someone treating me like that for 23 years! Yikes!

I find this topic interesting.

[Pretty in Ink]

Beer comes in cartons?

You interested? :monkeydance:

[blueheaven]

Most of us have come from dysfunctional families. Mine included!! Just because a parent sobered up or got clean doesn't mean the emotional baggage stopped. If they didn't get appropriate counseling or involved in a 12 step group, they passed the behaviors on to their kids. I am a adult child of an alcoholic and a very co-dependant mother. I worked very hard both with counseling and Al-anon (Nar-anon is good too) to deal with those behaviors.

[lpnhell]

true here

[EmerNurse, BSN, RN]

Yep here too!

I got into nursing late in life. I doubt I'd have been able to handle it before I'd wrestled down most of my demons.

My 40+ yo brother is serious ETOH and psych all the way and has been since his teen years. Dad was buku ETOH until he died but it was mom that was abusive. HER family wasn't much of a peach either.

Interestingly, my brother and I were adopted as infants. So our dysfunctional upbringing is NOT biological to us. That said, I still had to wrestle the demons and probably swung too far the other way in not putting my foot down with my kids as much as I should have. Still, they're all good kids (mine), and the grown-up adult ones aren't at my door every 15 minutes needing something.

Like many others said, most folks do seem to grow up in a dysfunctional family. Then again, my DH is from a VERY functional family (to which, my poor mind wonders "umm. what's with these people?" LOL).

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

Dysfunctional family member here too

dad was alcoholic, actually HIS whole family was/is, mom's family has "ways" that border on borderline......