Background:

the presence of a child with a disability is an overwhelming challenge. Each family is unique, with its own needs, and promoting healthy family functioning is essential for the individual and collective health of its members.

Objectives:

characterize families with an adult child with disabilities and understand their family functioning

Methodology:

correlational descriptive study, non-probabilistic convenience sample, of forty families whose children attend an institution in the district of Guarda. Data collected through a questionnaire, subject to descriptive and inferential statistics (Nonparametric Mann- Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis U tests).

Results:

the majority of the sample consists of children aged between 31 and 45 years, similarly distributed by sex. Most families have balanced levels of family functioning. The female gender positively influences the cohesion and communication subscale and the male gender the dismembered and chaotic subscale. Families with younger children are related to higheraverages on the tangled subscale, as well as those with physical disabilities.

Conclusion:

the existence of a disability interferes with family functioning, with differences regarding the sex and age of the disabled child. The family nurse, a decisive element in the diagnostic approach, develops strategies and creates multidisciplinary programs aimed at these families.