Her words are filled with love, patience, and light.
In her eyes remain traces of sleepless nights,
Each prayer a shield that never leaves my side.
My father says, “Walk straight, never bow your head,”
Be honest — this is the advice he gives me.
In hard times, his words become my support,
Through prayer, his strength grows even more.
Even when they see me fall, they stay silent,
Inside them live a thousand unspoken wishes.
Quietly at night, they raise their hands in prayer,
Calling my name, pleading to the heavens.
These prayers open wide the paths before me,
In every task, God Himself gives support.
Not wealth, not fame — this alone is enough,
A parents’ prayer is the greatest treasure.
Time will pass, hair will turn gray, I know,
I wish to serve them, knowing their true worth.
While they are here, I am never alone,
Where their prayers exist, sorrow cannot stay.
O Lord, always protect them,
Grant them long lives filled with blessings and peace.
Every breath I take is full of gratitude,
For my parents’ prayers — my eternal thanks.
I was born in Asaka District, Andijan Region. I entered the 10th General Secondary School of Asaka District in 2014 and graduated in 2025. Currently, I am studying at the Andijan Branch of Kokand University in the English Language Teaching program, group 25_09. I am studying at this university with excellent grades and actively participating in many conferences, scientific articles, and numerous seminars.
I have also taken part in many competitions for young readers and have won honorable prizes. Similarly, I have achieved first and second honorable places in national competitions. In 2025, I graduated from school with a red diploma due to my discipline and outstanding academic performance.
I love expressing my thoughts and feelings through creativity. In my works, sincerity, a deep perspective on life, and inner emotions hold an important place. I write every line with responsibility, striving to convey words that come straight from my heart to the reader. This book is the result of my search, my hard work, and my love for creativity.
The Role of Schools, Local Communities, and Psychological Services
Termez State University
Field of Study: Psychology
Second-Year Student
Eshmatova Marjona Kamol qizi
Abstract
This article examines the factors affecting child development in dysfunctional families and highlights the collaborative role of schools, local community institutions, and psychological services in supporting such families. The effectiveness of existing systems in early identification, prevention, and rehabilitation processes is analyzed, and the advantages of an integrated approach are emphasized.
Keywords: dysfunctional family, support system, school, local community, psychological services, prevention, rehabilitation, child development.
Introduction
The family is the most important social institution in society, within which an individual’s emotional, social, and moral development is formed. Therefore, the stability of the psychological climate within the family is one of the fundamental criteria of a child’s well-being. However, practice shows that in some families, dysfunctional conditions arise as a result of conflicts, violence, neglect, economic hardship, mental illness, or negative parental behaviors. Children raised in such families often face emotional instability, academic difficulties, high levels of anxiety, aggressive behavior, and low self-esteem.
The phenomenon of dysfunctional families has been widely studied in various scientific studies. In particular, American psychologist Murray Bowen, in his Family Systems Theory, views the family as a unified system and emphasizes that any disruption within it affects the entire system. Similarly, Salvador Minuchin, the founder of Structural Family Therapy, notes that dysfunctional families are characterized by blurred role boundaries, unhealthy communication patterns, and authoritarian or neglectful parenting styles, which lead to numerous psychological problems.
In the context of Uzbekistan, the family is closely interconnected with the local community, which increases the importance of social support mechanisms. From this perspective, this article provides an in-depth analysis of the role of schools, local communities, and psychological services in identifying dysfunctional families, providing assistance, and implementing preventive measures.
Psychological Characteristics of Dysfunctional Families
In studying dysfunctional families, socio-psychological factors play a crucial role. According to Attachment Theory developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, children who do not feel secure within their families tend to develop insecure or ambivalent attachment styles. This leads to distrust, anxiety, and difficulties in social adaptation in later relationships.
Dysfunctional families are typically characterized by the following features:
1. Emotional Instability
Frequent parental conflicts, aggression, violence, or emotional coldness increase anxiety and fear in children.
2. Communication Disorders
According to Minuchin, such families exhibit “blurred boundaries,” which manifest either as excessive parental intrusion or complete neglect of the child.
3. Parental Dysfunction
Alcohol and substance abuse
Mental health disorders
Excessive punishment
Strict control or absolute neglect
4. Economic and Social Stress
Research by James Garbarino indicates that economic hardship intensifies family stress and negatively affects the quality of parenting.
Many scholars emphasize that identifying and addressing these factors requires a systematic approach.
The Role of Schools in the Support System
Schools are one of the most important institutions requiring focused attention within the support system. As places where children spend most of their time and where their psychological state can be continuously observed, schools are often the earliest institutions to identify children from dysfunctional families.
1. Observation and Diagnosis
School psychologists regularly assess factors such as temperament, emotional stability, academic motivation, social adaptation, behavioral disorders.
2. The Role of Teachers
Teachers are often the first to notice changes in a child’s daily behavior, including: lack of attention in class, social withdrawal, aggression, excessive irritability.
3. School Psychological Services
Family counseling based on Bowen’s and Minuchin’s theories, individual sessions with children, and group training programs produce positive outcomes.
4. Working with Parents
One of the school’s most important tasks is providing psychological support to parents through pedagogical training, counseling, and seminars. The more attention parents give to their children, the more effective the child’s upbringing becomes.
The Importance of the Local Community Institution
In Uzbekistan’s social system, the local community serves as one of the most influential institutions for identifying and resolving family-related problems.
1. Monitoring the Family’s Social Condition
Community leaders, women’s activists, and prevention inspectors thoroughly assess economic conditions, parenting environment, social relationships.
2. Early Intervention
Many social problems can be prevented from escalating into dysfunction if identified early at the community level.
3. Support Mechanisms include financial assistance, psychological guidance, social support services, awareness-raising activities during community meetings.
4. School–Community Cooperation
Joint monitoring of a child’s condition by both systems enhances the effectiveness of support.
The Role of Psychological Services
Psychological services represent the core professional component in addressing family problems. The works of psychologists such as Nathan Ackerman, Virginia Satir, and Carl Rogers serve as foundational resources in family therapy.
1. Individual Psychotherapy
Working with children focuses on emotional regulation, stress reduction, restoring self-esteem, developing social skills.
2. Family Therapy
Based on Minuchin’s model, regulating roles and boundaries within the family significantly reduces problems.
3. Working with Parents
Training programs include anger management, effective communication, non-violent parenting, understanding children’s needs.
4. Rehabilitation and Counseling Centers
Psychological centers provide ongoing monitoring and offer comprehensive rehabilitation programs for dysfunctional families.
Conclusion
Children growing up in dysfunctional families constitute one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Their emotional, social, and psychological development is seriously threatened due to instability in the family environment. Therefore, providing support to such families should not be the responsibility of a single institution but should require coordinated cooperation among schools, local communities, and psychological services.
Scholars such as Bowen, Minuchin, Satir, and Bowlby emphasize that the stability of the family system is a decisive factor in a child’s personal development. Thus, in the context of Uzbekistan, implementing a systematic approach, early identification, prevention, and continuous psychological support remains a critical task.
Through an integrated support model, it is possible to reduce family dysfunction, ensure children’s safe and healthy development, and strengthen social stability within society.
References
Bowen, M. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. New York: Jason Aronson, 1978.
Minuchin, S. Families and Family Therapy. Harvard University Press, 1974.
Minuchin, S., & Fishman, C. Family Therapy Techniques. Harvard University Press, 1981.
Satir, V. Conjoint Family Therapy. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books, 1964.
Yuldoshev, J. Family Psychology. Tashkent: National Publishing House of Uzbekistan, 2019.
Sobirova, N. Child Upbringing and Psychology in the Family. Tashkent, 2020.
Abduqodirov, A. Educational Psychology. Tashkent: Fan Publishing House, 2018.
Jabborov, R. Foundations of Social Pedagogy. Tashkent: TDPU Publishing House, 2017.
Qoshoqov, M. Culture of Communication in the Family. Tashkent: Yangi Asr Avlodi, 2015.
Materials and methodological manuals of the Research Institute “Mahalla and Family” (various years).
Breaking the silence: A girl`s story To every girl who has ever been told “you can’t”- this is for you.
Author: Baxshilloyeva Nigina Bahodir qizi (01.01.2026)
“Imagine being born into a world full of invisible walls — walls that tell you where to go, what to dream, and how loud you may speak. Now imagine breaking through them to find your own voice“. This is not the story of an ordinary girl. This is the story of a girl who found her voice amidst silence. From the moment she was born, invisible walls surrounded her: because she was a girl, her world was “too small” and her dreams were considered “too big”.
For a long time, she accepted these walls as natural, because everyone around her seemed to live within them. Yet, deep inside, questions began to form. And it is that very question — quiet, persistent, impossible to ignore — that changes everything.
Think about: If you had grown up in the same environment, would you have noticed these walls?
Days passed, and the walls seemed taller, stronger and louder. Every “you can’t” and “you shouldn’t” echoed in her ears. She felt small. Invisible. Forgotten.
Yet in the quietest corners of her mind, a whisper began. A tiny, trembling voice, almost afraid to exist, yet undeniably there. “Why must I stay inside these walls?” it asked. She started to notice things others didn’t — the way her dreams refused to shrink, the way her laughter refused to fade, the way her questions refused to die. And for the first time, she realized something powerful: these walls weren’t her world. They were someone else’s rules.
One day, she reached for a notebook, her pen trembling in her hand. She wrote down every dream, every question, every desire that had been locked away. Words poured out like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. And slowly, the walls began to crack.
Every time she spoke up, every time she tried, the walls shook a little more. Every “no” she heard became fuel, not a chain. With each step, the girl was no longer just surviving — she was beginning to exist. Fully. Freely. Loudly.
And then, one morning, she realized she had done the impossible: she had found her voice. Not the quiet, hidden voice that whispered in corners — but a voice strong enough to shake the world, gentle enough to heal and fearless enough to inspire.
To every girl reading this: the walls around you are real, but so is your voice. You are not too small. Your dreams are not too big. You have a fire inside that no one can dim. Speak. Sing. Write. Paint. Dance. Question. Challenge. Break. Build. Every time you do, you are shattering limits, not just for yourself, but for the girls who will follow you.
Your voice matters. Your dreams matter. And your courage is louder than any wall. So keep going. Keep fighting. Keep finding your voice — because the world is waiting to hear it.
“This motivational piece is small and simple, and I’m not even sure if it can really be called a story, but if even a little part of it has touched your heart or given you a bit of inspiration, I’m truly happy.
Baxshilloyeva Nigina Bahodir qizi Peshku Specialized School, Bukhara
National certificates: • Multi-level (English): C1 • Mother Tongue and Literature: A • History: B • Mathematics: C+
• IELTS Academic: 7.0
Awards & Achievements: • Winner of “Ingliz tili bilimdoni – 2024” • 1st place in English and Uzbek language at district Olympiads • Prize-winner of UBS subject Olympiad (English) • Holder of multiple certificates of appreciation and excellence • Early admission student with a total score of 189 points • Appeared on “Istiqlol TV”
Activities: • Founder of “Englishblog_nb” where she teaches English free of charge to younger learners • Participant of several educational camps and training programs, including “English for IT” • Actively involved in social, volunteer and street educational activities • Experienced in Telegram channel management related to education and media
Interests: • Learning foreign languages • Reading fiction and literature • Piano playing and chess • International education opportunities and teaching
God, I have nothing to say to these broken-winged birds
for they are evidence of the fear stitched
into the fabric of my existence.
But Lord, I have come to the threshold of my doubt,
let me not be barren of your mercy.
Let the dawn of my grief not break
for I am a fragile vessel holding a breath.
If I am lucky to survive my morning,
let the sun scorch away every hatred I hold in my heart
for my neighbor. When the curtain of the night falls,
may my couch not mock me of loneliness.
I have known pain, and a bit of betrayal. Yes.
Caress this sinking heart with the finger of love.
Lord, are you listening? Let me not tread
on the knife-edge of anger and burn this little joy
I own. Let my ignorance grow a wild patience
to know your will. Send me a sign.
Maybe a dove perching on the hill of my weariness.
Speak a word, Lord, to the bones of my dead faith
& let them breathe again, like Lazarus. Amen.
Sarah Adeyemo, SWAN IX, is a Nigerian poet, editor, writer, and spoken word artiste. The debut author of The Shape of Silence, a micro chapbook. She draws inspiration from solitude and experiences. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Sarah has published/forthcoming work on Pepper Coast Magazine, The Weeds Review, Akpata Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, TV-63 Magazine, Poems for Persons Interest, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere.
