Smith et al's (2017) model of family health links the function of daily routines with maintaining health behaviors long term and describes maintaining balance as a process mediated by awareness and adaptability. Healthy routines encourage balance, purposefulness, and inclusion.

Grand Valley State University

Balance, "all-togetherness", and living purposefully are associated with collective health promotion behaviors as well as environmental stability within the family unit. Choosing to prioritize family relationships and events and including all members in communication and decision-making are some strategies families can use to improve functioning.

Factors Supporting Family Health

In the discipline of psychology, routines are defined as organized, predictable, and intentional sets of behaviors repeated frequently in day to day life. Routines can include physical and mental components and can involve some or all family members. 
Routines can provide environmental and emotional stability within households.

Family Routines

Smith, S. L., DeGrace, B., Ciro, C., Bax, A., Hambrick, A., James, J., & Evans, A. (2017). Exploring families’ experiences of health: Contributions to a model of family health. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 22(10), 1239–1247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2017.1319069

Exploring families’ experiences of health: Contributions to a model of family health

Findings from Exploring Families' Experiences of Health

Because it is the responsibility of the family environment to prepare developing members to adapt to other environments, routines prepare individuals with coping mechanisms for daily life, which has been linked to increased tolerance for uncertainty and resistance to rumination. 

Chaotic, disorganized, and uncertain family environments that did not establish routines, on the other hand, are associated with the incidence of depression even into adulthood.

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