[The genogram in the evaluation of natural family vital cycle and its dislocations]

To evaluate whether the reading of the genogram allows the stages of the family vital cycle (FVC) and the map of relationships to be identified; and to study how it can be used to find the FVC and its dislocations, and family relationships.

Descriptive crossover study.

Primary Care. Health Centres at Almanjayar and Cartuja (Granada). Patients and other participants. 499 genograms performed and analysed by Primary Care doctors.

Reading of the genograms by two doctors who had not participated in taking them, to establish whether the FVC stages and the map of relationships could be identified, and the cycle and its dislocations classified.

The reading of the genogram enabled the stages of the FVC to be identified in 96% of cases. 66% of the genograms had the map of relationships correctly drawn. We found that 30% of families were at the fourth stage, 22% in II-B and 19% in II-A. 43% of the genograms contributed data on family relationships. Dislocations in the FVC were evident in 16.6%.

When the genogram is well-constructed, we consider it a good tool for classifying families into the appropriate stage of the FVC, evaluating the role of family interactions throughout the cycle and discovering disruptions in the FVC.