Final answer:
The term family is defined by the client as individuals important to the client, focusing on socioemotional ties rather than strictly legal or biological connections.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nurse who is sensitive to the care of families would recognize that the term family is primarily defined by the client as individuals important to the client. The concept of family is a sociocultural construct and varies across cultures and social norms. It is commonly scaled from the intimate unit in which children are raised to a larger web of relatives, not strictly limited to legal or biological connections. Sociologists have stressed that family should be understood more in terms of the relationships and emotional ties than through a rigid structure of roles or biological lineage. The socioemotional ties and the recognition of the group by the individuals themselves appear to be key indicators of what constitutes a family in contemporary society.