Goal Effectiveness and Family Functioning

Differentiation of self in Bowen theory includes the effective pursuit of long-term, intrinsic goals while responsibly engaging with one's family and important others. This kind of goal direction is hypothesized to contribute to higher functioning families. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this longitudinal study tested this hypothesis and found that participants with more goal effectiveness tended to have less symptomatic families of procreation, less increase in family symptomology over the fifteen years of the study, more strength of goal direction over time, and goal direction that was the same as or greater than their parents and siblings.     

The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale III in a Norwegian Sample

Olson's Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES III) and Beavers' Self-report Family Inventory (SFI) were administered to 177 young Norwegian adults. Three questions were raised: (1) do the two-factor structure and curvilinear hypothesis of Olson's model of family functioning find support cross-culturally; (2) does curvilinearity depend on whether families of origin or procreation are described; and (3) does the data analytic technique dictate the results. In 1985, in their manual, Olson and his associates proposed the use of Distance from Center (DFC) scores to test the curvilinear hypothesis, a procedure that presupposes orthogonality between the dimensions of Cohesion and Adaptability, which was not found in several other samples nor in the present study. Using DFC scores, the curvilinear hypothesis received moderate support only when families of origin were described. A polynomic regression analysis gave clear evidence, however, of a linear relationship between the FACES dimensions and SFI Health Scores for both families of origin and families of procreation. The findings suggest that respondents do not have an implicit bipolar model of cohesion and adaptability.     

The Multigenerational Transmission of Family Unit Functioning

Abstract

Bowen theory hypothesizes that a nuclear family's level of functioning is influenced by the stability or functioning of previous generations. This longitudinal study tested this hypothesis with 49 newly developing nuclear families and their multigenerational families. Family functioning was measured using a composite of physical, emotional, social, and marital symptoms of the family members of the current and previous generations. The quantitative analysis supported the hypothesis. In a correlation analysis of the first five years of this twenty-year study, multigenerational functioning, especially nuclear family of origin functioning, was associated with nuclear family functioning.     

Beyond the Couple: A Qualitative Analysis of Successful In‐law Relationships in Iran

In‐laws can play a significant role in the success or failure of marriages around the world. In the Middle East, recent quantitative research indicates that having trouble with in‐laws is a major predictor of divorce in Iran. To explore this further, we undertook a qualitative (grounded theory) analysis of in‐depth interviews with 17 Iranian daughters‐in‐law, five sons‐in‐law, three mothers‐in‐law, three fathers‐in‐law, and three expert family clinicians. Emergent concepts, themes, and coding categories were consistent with a Family Triad Model (FTM) of successful marital and in‐law relationships, wherein each spouse must (a) form we‐ness with their partner, (b) establish flexible boundaries between themselves and their families of origin, and (c) join their in‐laws. A higher‐order core category suggested that optimal couple and family functioning depends on the coherence or balance of these functions across the triadic role components of spouse, child‐in‐law, and family‐in‐law (or family‐of‐origin). In the changing cultural context of Iran, where blood relations have traditionally held primacy over marital relations, such triadic coherence appears crucial to marital success, at least from the perspective of many women. Our FTM results also highlight the importance of taking in‐laws into account when planning educational, preventative, or clinical interventions.     

Family Functioning and Self-Differentiation: A Cross-Cultural Examination

This study examined the degree to which self-differentiation as related to family functioning is valued differently by Korean and European-American university students. The main findings confirm that the level of family functioning reported by European Americans is greater than for their Korean counterpart; family functioning is associated with differentiation measures (total score, emotional reactivity, and emotional cutoff) to a different extent across the two groups; and controlling for the effect of family functioning, the added contribution of a country variable explained further variance in self-differentiation. The importance of addressing the issue of similarities and differences between cultures in the assessment and treatment of individuals with problems related to their families of origin is discussed.     

亲子间家庭功能知觉相似性的特点及其与青少年自尊的关系

采用家庭功能评价量表(FAI),Rosenberg自尊量表,对北京和西安4所普通中学的1317名初高中生及其父母进行调查。结果发现:(1)亲子间的家庭功能知觉存在中等程度的相似性,青少年与父亲和青少年与母亲间知觉的相似性无显著差异;(2)亲子间家庭功能知觉相似性的性别和年级差异显著,女孩与父母间知觉的相似性高于男孩,高一年级与父母知觉的相似性高于其他三个年级;家庭功能不同维度知觉相似性的表现不同;(3)不同性别和不同知觉相似性水平的青少年自尊得分差异显著;低相似性组个体的自尊分数显著低于高相似性组和一般组;亲子间在整体家庭功能和父母关注维度的相似性可显著预测青少年自尊。     

Family Adjustment to Childhood Cancer: A Systematic Review

This systematic review integrates qualitative and quantitative research findings regarding family changes in the context of childhood cancer. Twenty-eight quantitative, 42 qualitative, and one mixed-method studies were reviewed. Included studies focused on family functioning, marital quality, and/or parenting in the context of pediatric cancer, were written in English, and were published between 1996 and 2009. Overall, qualitative findings show that families alter roles, responsibilities, and day-to-day functioning to accommodate the needs of children with cancer. Although some degree of family reorganization is normative, the extent and impact of these changes varies. Quantitative work shows that mean levels of family functioning (e.g., cohesion, flexibility) are similar between families facing cancer and normative or comparison samples. However, families follow different trajectories of improvement, decline, or stability in family closeness and marital quality. Parenting has received limited quantitative research attention, but qualitative work suggests that parents perceive deeper bonds with ill children and may spoil or overprotect them. Conclusions support future work examining the influence of family-level variables on the adjustment of individual family members.     

Relationship between Mental Health and Burden among Primary Caregivers of Outpatients with Schizophrenia

There is growing recognition that caring for a patient with schizophrenia often results in high levels of perceived burden and poorer overall mental health for caregivers. A quantitative cross‐sectional design and standardized instruments were used to collect data from 355 primary caregivers of adults in outpatient care with schizophrenia in China. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the association between caregiver burden and mental health among primary caregivers and whether this association is influenced by personality, coping style, and family functioning, based on a diathesis–stress perspective. Goodness‐of‐fit indices (χ²/df = 1.406, GFI = 0.919, CFI = 0.957, etc.) confirmed that the modified model fit the data well. In line with the diathesis–stress model, and with this study's hypotheses, we found that caregiver burden was significantly related to mental health outcomes directly. The final model showed that personality traits, coping style, and family function influenced the relationship between caregiver burden and mental health. The neuroticism personality traits have a direct effect on caregiver burden and family functioning in this sample. Coping style had a direct effect on the caregiver burden, and family functioning had a direct effect on the caregiver burden. Our final model about primary caregivers can be applied clinically to predict mental health outcomes from caregiver burden.     

Family environment and its relation to adolescent personality factors

Investigated the relationship between family social climate characteristics and adolescent personality functioning. The High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ) was administered to 80 high school students. These students and their parents also completed the Family Environment Scale (FES). Results of a stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that one or more HSPQ scales had significant associations with each FES scale. Significant variance in child behavior was attributed to family social system functioning; however, no single family variable accounted for a major portion of the variance to the exclusion of other factors. It was concluded that child behavior varies with total system functioning, more than with separate system factors.     

Relationship between Family Functioning and Possible Selves in Adolescents from Argentina

Abstract

The goal of this study was to analyze the relationship between different family functioning types and the content, valence, and structure of adolescents’ possible selves (PSs). Participants were adolescents (n?=?392) of both genders (female = 54.9%) from private and catholic high schools in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina (age, M?=?14.92, SD?=?1.52). We performed a cluster analysis to explore family functioning profiles in terms of communication with parents, promotion of challenges, family cohesion, and flexibility. In order to study family functioning type and PSs content association, we performed a chi-squared test. To study family functioning type differences in PSs valence and structure we conducted a one-way MANOVA. The chi-squared test indicated that there was no significant association between family functioning type and adolescents’ PSs spontaneous content. On the other hand, the MANOVA revealed the existence of significant differences in PSs valence between each type of family functioning group. In regard to the structure of PSs, there were no significant differences between family functioning types. In conclusion, adolescents who perceived positive family functioning have more positive PSs. Family functioning type was not related to PSs content and structure.     

家庭功能对青少年情绪问题的作用机制

本研究以探索家庭功能发挥过程和发挥结果之间的关系并检验两者对青少年情绪问题的作用大小和机制为目的,采用Skinner等人编制的家庭评价量表(FAM,测量家庭功能发挥过程)和Olson编制的家庭适应性、亲密度量表(FACESⅢ,测量家庭功能发挥结果)、流调中心抑郁量表(CES-D)和焦虑自评量表(SAS)对422名中学生进行匿名问卷施测,通过相关分析、分层回归和结构方程模型统计分析发现:(1)总体上青少年的情绪处于良好状态;(2)家庭功能发挥过程和发挥结果各变量之间呈显著相关;(3)家庭功能发挥过程比家庭功能发挥结果对青少年情绪问题预测作用更大;(4)家庭功能发挥结果是家庭功能发挥过程与青少年情绪问题的部分中介变量。     

Multigenerational stress and nuclear family functioning

This longitudinal study tested Bowen theorys assumption that stressors in the interdependent multigenerational family influence variation in nuclear family functioning. Forty-nine newly developing nuclear families and their multigenerational families were studied over five years. Quantitative analysis demonstrated an association between the perceived impact of multigenerational stressors and variation in nuclear family functioning. Multigenerational stressors, as compared to individual or nuclear family stressors, had a stronger association with nuclear family functioning. The stress response was manifested in symptomatic outcomes of the nuclear family emotional process. Generally, the number of stressors and the total impact of stressors increased over time, stressors in some years associated with functioning in subsequent years, nuclear family-of-origin stressors demonstrated a decreasing association over time, and developing nuclear family stressors demonstrated a somewhat increasing association over time.     

Parent–Teen Interactions as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents with Headache

This study investigated parent–adolescent conflict, family functioning, and adolescent autonomy as predictors of depressive symptoms in adolescents with primary headache. Frequent headaches during adolescence can have a negative impact on activity levels and psychological functioning. Depression is particularly prevalent in adolescents with headache but little research has examined the role of parent–teen interactions in predicting depressive symptoms. Thirty adolescents diagnosed with migraine or chronic daily headache completed self-report measures of pain intensity, parent–adolescent conflict, family functioning, and depression. Adolescents and their parents also participated in three videotaped interaction tasks, scored by independent raters to assess adolescent autonomy. Regression models revealed that pain intensity, parent–adolescent conflict, and autonomy predicted depressive symptoms. Higher levels of conflict, poorer family functioning and lower levels of autonomy were associated with more depressive symptoms. This study highlights the association between parent–teen interactions and psychological functioning in adolescents with primary headache. Implications for intervention are discussed.     

Relationships among parental reports of child, parent, and family functioning.

Most children with psychosocial problems do not present for treatment in mental health settings. They are managed by primary care physicians. Children with psychosocial problems often have parents and/or families with psychosocial distress. The present study measured associations between parental reports of child, parent, and family functioning in individuals in the general population. Participants were 226 parents of children, aged 2-16 years, who presented for routine primary care. Parents reported on the psychosocial functioning of themselves, their child, and their family. All correlations of measures were significant, ranging from .55 to .23. Similar to data from psychiatric samples, the psychological functioning of children, parents, and families were significantly correlated. Unlike in psychiatric settings, child mental health problems were not as closely related to parent or family distress as parent and family distress were related to each other and to child behavior problems.     

家庭功能与青少年问题行为关系的追踪研究

选取北京市三所中学620名初一和初二的学生为被试,采用追踪调查的方式,先后两次(间隔为九个月)让被试报告其家庭功能和问题行为,以探讨青少年家庭功能和问题行为的发展变化情况,以及家庭功能与青少年问题行为的因果关系。研究发现:(1)青少年的家庭功能和问题行为均存在一定的稳定性,但在任务完成、沟通和卷入方面存在变化,均为后测功能不如前测功能;而危害健康行为随着年龄的增长呈显著下降趋势。(2)家庭功能的每个方面均与青少年问题行为呈显著相关,即家庭功能发挥越好,青少年的问题行为也相应越少。(3)交叉滞后回归分析的结果表明,在更大程度上是家庭功能影响着少年的问题行为,进一步回归分析表明,家庭功能中的卷入维度对青少年问题行为具有显著的预测作用。     

Shared experiences and the similarity of personalities: a longitudinal study of married couples.

Do spouses become more similar over time? What processes contribute to enduring similarities between them? Using the 20-year Kelly Longitudinal Study of couples, no support for the hypothesis that couples increasingly resemble each other with time was found. Rather, couples maintain the same degree of similarity across 20 years. Structural equation analyses suggest that the shared environmental experiences of couples play a significant role in maintaining these similarities over time. We distinguish the shared marital environment from the shared rearing environment and consider developmental and dynamic-relational factors that moderate the relative importance of nonshared and shared environmental experiences in life-span personality development. Whereas nonshared influences in one's family of origin contribute to development in childhood and adolescence, shared influences in one's family of destination may contribute a great deal to development in adulthood.     

Anxiety within families: interrelations, consistency, and change

In a community sample of mothers (N = 763), each with a focal child aged 4.5 years, anxiety levels were high. Only 54% of mothers had anxiety scores within the "normal" Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) range, compared with 85% for depression. A subsample (N = 116) was selected for two-parent families, one to three children, and mothers spread over low, medium, and high anxiety levels. Mothers' anxiety was not significantly related to age, education, or work status, but rather to mothers' and fathers' independent ratings of marital satisfaction and family functioning, and to fathers' own anxiety and depression. Fathers' anxiety was related not to their own views of marital satisfaction and family functioning, but rather to mothers' views and to maternal anxiety. Assessments 8 years later--of anxiety, depression, and family functioning--showed high consistency over time, particularly maternal anxiety (r = .70) and paternal depression (r = .81). Although means did not change significantly over time for fathers, mothers' anxiety, depression, and perceptions of family functioning all improved (p < .001). For parents who were later to separate (compared with the others), initial family functioning, dyadic adjustment, and maternal anxiety were significantly "worse." The strongest predictor of later break-up was fathers' dyadic adjustment.     

Testing the General Theory of Crime with the Circumplex Model: Curvilinear Relations between Family Functioning and Self-Control

ABSTRACT

The relation between family and low self-control is usually studied within linear hypotheses. In this study, we intended to test the familial origin of self-control under a curvilinear hypothesis. This is a cross-sectional study, with a sample of 448 adolescents and young adults. Data analysis was based on correlation and regression-based statistics. Results revealed linear associations between family functioning and juvenile deviant behavior, contrary to self-control which presented curvilinear relations with family cohesion and flexibility (i.e. both high and low extreme levels were associated with low self-control). This finding suggests a new approach to the familial origin of low self-control.     

A longitudinal investigation of children internationally adopted at school age

Most existing research on children adopted internationally has focused on those adopted as infants and toddlers. The current study longitudinally tracked several outcomes, including cognitive, behavioral, emotional, attachment, and family functioning, in 25 children who had been internationally adopted at school age (M = 7.7 years old at adoption, SD = 3.4, range = 4–15 years). We examined the incidence of clinically significant impairments, significant change in outcomes over the three study points, and variables that predicted outcomes over time. Clinically significant impairments in sustained attention, full-scale intelligence, reading, language, executive functioning, externalizing problems, and parenting stress were common, with language and executive functioning impairments present at higher levels in the current study compared with past research focusing on children adopted as infants and toddlers. Over the three study points, significant improvements across most cognitive areas and attachment functioning were observed, though significant worsening in executive functioning and internalizing problems was present. Adoptive family-specific variables, such as greater maternal education, smaller family size, a parenting approach that encouraged age-expected behaviors, home schooling, and being the sole adopted child in the family were associated with greater improvement across several cognitive outcomes. In contrast, decreased parenting stress was predicted by having multiple adopted children and smaller family sizes were associated with greater difficulties with executive functioning. Child-specific variables were also linked to outcomes, with girls displaying worse attachment and poorer cognitive performance and with less time in orphanage care resulting in greater adoption success. Implications for future research and clinical applications are discussed.