Families in Crisis

Abstract

Families are in crisis. With an increasing array of problems affecting children in the home, from child abuse to familial alcoholism, schools are facing a vast array of behavioral and emotional concerns affecting childhood behavior. Unfortunately, many negative behaviors are learned at home. Violent and aggressive behaviors, for example, as well as drug and alcohol abuse, are often demonstrated by parents. From a community perspective, schools are in a pivotal position from which to intervene. Yet, many school-based mental health professionals, including school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers, lack the knowledge to provide direct interventions. This article examines contemporary problems facing families, considers the home-school linkage, and explores interventions for schools and school-based mental health professionals.     

Impact of Social Networking Sites on Children in Military Families

Youth in military families experience a relatively unique set of stressors that can put them at risk for numerous psychological and behavior problems. Thus, there is a need to identify potential mechanisms by which children can gain resiliency against these stressors. One potential mechanism that has yet to be empirically studied with military youth is social networking sites (SNSs). SNSs have gained significant popularity among society, especially youth. Given the significance of these communication tools in youths’ lives, it is important to analyze how SNS use may affect military youth and their ability to cope with common military life stressors. The current review examines the potential positive and negative consequences associated with SNS use in coping with three common stressors of youth in military families: parent deployment, frequent relocation, and having a family member with a psychological or physical disability. By drawing from SNS and military literature, we predict that SNS use can be a positive tool for helping children in military families to cope with stressors. However, certain SNS behaviors can potentially result in more negative outcomes. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.     

In-Home Treatment of Families with Seriously Disturbed Adolescents in Crisis

This article describes an innovative Adolescent In-Home Treatment Program that was designed as a hospital alternative for families with adolescents in serious crises. Using multiple-impact, in-home, and in-office techniques, a mental health team systemically intervenes with families to assist them in resolving this major developmental event. Since the program's inception, over 160 high-risk adolescents have completed the 90-day course of treatment. Preliminary data gathered from an early group of families and clinicians suggest the potential of significant improvements in family and adolescent functioning, and the attainment of clinical goals among the majority of families served.     

Two Families: The Origins of a Therapeutic Crisis

The treatment by individual and family therapy of a hospitalized young woman is presented as it reflects the historical and current family dynamics of the patient and her individual psychotherapist. The contribution of these factors to a therapeutic crisis is discussed.     

The Experience of Crisis in Families of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Across the Lifespan

It is well-established that parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience significant stress in their caregiving role, and research findings indicate that chronic stressors can act as a precipitant to crisis. In the present study, we examined the experience of crisis in families of individuals with ASD from early childhood to adulthood. One hundred and fifty-seven comments provided by family members in response to an online survey were coded using grounded theory methods. We explored three components of crisis drawn from the comments: antecedents (precipitating events and the context of crisis), behaviors (the nature of crisis), and consequences (outcomes and reactions to crisis). Similarities and differences in the crisis experiences among varying age groups are discussed, as well as implications for practice and future research.     

Resilience in Remarried Families

The present study aims to identify those resilience factors that enable remarried families to withstand and rebound from the disruptive challenges they face. A parent and a child from 38 families independently completed seven questionnaires and answered an open-ended question. The following resilience-associated factors were identified: (1) supportive family relationships, (2) affirming and supportive communication, (3) a sense of control over outcomes in life, (4) activities and routines that help the family to spend time together, (5) a strong marriage relationship, (6) support from family and friends, (7) redefining stressful events and acquiring social support, and (8) spirituality and religion within the family.     

Involving Families in Change

Summary

In this article, a range of matters are considered that have to do with involvement of families with children with severe behavioral and emotional disorders in change. Family participation on education and system change is reviewed, while principles of family participation are enumerated.     

Living in with Normal Families

Connie Hansen participated in my project, “Methodology for Studying Family Interaction,” in the mid 1960s. One of the purposes of that project was to compare several groups of families, including “normals.” Connie suggested that it might provide a rich source of data if she were to “live in” with a few of the “normal” families and observe them day to day on their own territory. (A year or so before, Dr. Jules Henry had given a talk to the MRI staff about living-in with “schizogenic” families, and I believe that Connie had discussed her idea with him.) Connie was an experienced family therapist — she was one of Virginia Satir's first students — and a most perceptive observer. She lived with three “normal” families for a week each during 1966–67; she was excited by the wealth of material and exhausted by the experience. She tried to develop a group of central themes from her data and gave me a preliminary draft of a paper in 1969. It clearly contained a number of important observations about the complexities and subtleties of family systems and some beginning attempts at conceptualization. She struggled for years to clarify and elaborate on her material. Several times she sent me portions and fragments of new drafts, each with additional insights, but she was never satisfied with her efforts. It seems a fitting tribute to Connie — she died early in 1979 — to attempt to put together her various drafts. We wanted to publish this very important material in a readable form and yet still preserve the immediateness, enthusiasm, and vividness of her observations. I hope, that if she were to read it, she would not be overly critical of this final draft. JULES RISKIN, M.D. It is a special privilege for me to participate in this posthumous publication of Connie Hansen's unique contribution to the further knowledge of family interaction. She died before the material could be published. I feel particular gratitude to the young woman who entered my first training program in 1961 at the Mental Research Institute. This was a time when such training seemed “far out” and was regarded as “probably only a fad.” She was willing to face the risks inherent to her professional standing by choosing to do this training. It was this same courage together with her imagination and curiosity and her willingness to document her experience without judging it that resulted in the article now being published. Farewell, Connie, and thank you for your presence in my life. VIRGINIA M.SATIR     

Parent-Child Interactions in Anxious Families

A considerable amount of research has examined factors associated with the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders in children. The familial nature of anxiety has been well-established, with genetic studies showing that approximately 30% of the variance is accounted for by genetic factors. Research into the family environment documents behavioral differences in interactions between non-anxious parent-child and anxious parent-child dyads, including less granting of autonomy, and parental withdrawal and disengagement. Recent theoretical work in the field of anxiety suggests that attachment models and coercive operant patterns could create a bi-directional coercive interaction pattern, similar to that seen in interactions of parents and aggressive children. The current study investigated parent and child behaviors coded from interaction tasks across four groups based on anxiety status: anxious parent/anxious child, non-anxious parent/anxious child, anxious parent/non-anxious child, and non-anxious parent/non-anxious child to empirically examine hypothesized interactive patterns. The study sample consisted of 158 parent-child (ages 3–12 years) dyads. Results support an interaction between parent and child anxiety on behavior within dyads. The current study provides an important step in identifying processes linked to familial anxiety.     

浅论基督徒家庭的儿女教育

“没有幸福的家庭生活,人不能拥有真正快乐与光明的远景。同样,也没有任何的成功,能弥补婚姻、家庭的失败。”当全社会都在努力构建和谐社会的今天,家庭的和睦与和谐就成了社会和谐的基础。本文从实践神学的角度,立足圣经的教导,阐述了基督徒家庭的儿女教育。前言部分为提出问题的社会与家庭背景;第二部分阐明了基督徒父母在教育孩子的过程中自身应具备的素质和要求;第三部分从灵、德、智、体、群五个方面,提出了全面塑造一个健全平衡的孩子的方法和建议。结语部分在于强调基督徒的家庭教育必须从现在做起。     

Ethnic Identity in Jewish Families

Forty-eight Jewish families living in Central New York were interviewed about the development of their ethnic identity. Within each family, parents and children were asked about how they developed their ethnic identity to explore qualitatively how Jewish identity shapes and influences family dynamics. The semi-structured family interviews were coded using a constant comparison methodology. Seven qualitative categories emerged (gendered decisions, negotiating continuity, family of origin, survivors, active learning, traditions, and cultural religion). Jewish identity formation in families and the implications for clinical practice are explored.