How would you describe poor/bad family relations?

Question

i.e Sam had a _____________ relationship with his family, with the omitted space being an adjective showing the toxic/bad relations between Sam and his family.

'Strained' comes to mind, but some others would be greatly appreciated.

lbf · Answer

a pernicious relationship vocabulary.com

adj exceedingly harmful

John Feltz · Answer

A fraught relationship (MW)

causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension : uneasy; "a fraught relationship"

Roger Sinasohn · Answer

I might be inclined to use difficult.  Per the Oxford Dictionaries:

difficult
ADJECTIVE
1  Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.
‘she had a difficult decision to make’
‘the questions are too difficult for the children’
1.1 Characterized by or causing hardships or problems.
‘a difficult economic climate’
1.2 (of a person) not easy to please or satisfy; awkward.
‘Lily could be difficult’

There are many synonyms of difficult that could be used as well.

Nuclear Hoagie · Answer

The word dysfunctional is often used to describe personal relationships which are unhealthy or toxic. It's so common, the term dysfunctional family has its own Wikipedia page. Relationships can be dysfunctional in many ways, some of the more common being lack of empathy or boundaries, a power imbalance, or constant conflict or arguing.

How would you describe poor/bad family relations?

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