Family dysfunction can significantly affect the physical and psychological development of a child. Children that come from dysfunctional families are likely to experience neglect and thus get poor nutrition. Poor nutrition will likely result in poor physical development of the child. In some cases, children that face severe problems with their growth can experience malnutrition, starvation, and even death. Children that face emotional abuse are likely to experience problems with their psychological development. Ubaidi (2017) identified that victimized children tend to attempt to escape their past pains and behaviors by practicing destructive behaviors such as drug abuse and alcohol. The author also observes that these children may face challenges with their self-esteem, struggle with trusting others, and deny their feelings and reality.
The age that has the most impact on the development of the child is the age 5. This is the middle childhood where the children require sufficient nutrition for physical growth. Children that experienced malnutrition and starvation at the age of 5 mostly experienced severe consequences and even death. Additionally, the age 5 is also the age where the children is starting to become self-aware, competent, and is increasingly becoming involved in the world through their family. In case the family setup is dysfunctional and the child does not have an adequate physical and emotional support system, the child will grow up and understand their world and the functioning of the world around them in a way that is different from normal children.
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Reference
Ubaidi, B. A. (2017). Cost of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Journal of Family .