The results shown the participants described the meaning of family happiness was to live together, care to each other, and not to have money problem. Accordingly, the core category reflecting family happiness named living together without money problem explain how family members be happy. This consists of four stages: 1) being close connection, 2) caring to each other, 3) being steady of finance, and 4) sense of community integration. These occurred along with coping the participants used when faced stress situation. Stage 1, the participants described that the family members were close connection by spending time together and talking friendly to each other. They also expressed that martial relationship is important to maintain good connection among them. They necessarily made a good conversation such as not argument one another for good family atmosphere. This might indicate that the family relationship and atmosphere are significant in family happiness in the first stage. The caring to each other found in the second stage. The participants mostly described that the family members have to share physical and emotional strain, understand other’s situation, and replacing other’s duty as a family member. The participants expressed that they help one another to take care of sick member, give encouragement if need. Furthermore, they protect dangers for family members especially, teaching their children to protect themselves from drug abuse.
In third stage, being steady of finance: the participants said that the family happiness depended on how they balance between income and expense. The majority of participants were low-middle class of social economic status. Moreover, they prioritized the financial problem that influence the family happiness. They described that it was necessarily to manage money to balance each month by saving money and planning ahead for future expenditure. In the fourth stage, sense of community integration: the participants expressed that they conformed themselves to fit in the community by giving souvenir to neighbors, joining social activities, and giving suggestion to key persons in the community. Consequently, the participants acquainted to each other. Sometimes they asked for help from neighbors. These two stages of family happiness might indicate the social determinant factor influencing family happiness.
In conclusion, the family happiness was dynamic process that can be up and down magnitude of happiness. It was not stable based upon the coping methods the family members used. The participants mostly used adaptive copping to deal with stress when over time. The first-two stage represent the family relationship, atmosphere, and caring among family members that can impact on family happiness. Another two stages reflect social determinant factors that also invade in family happiness. Understanding of the family happiness process can assist to develop intervention to enhance people living with family gaining optimal happiness as possible. Accordingly this can guide nurses to develop nursing practice curriculum for family nurse practitioner.