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.     

Intergenerational Fusion and Nuclear Family Functioning

Bowen theory hypothesizes that undifferentiation or fusion between the generations influences nuclear family functioning. Using qualitative and quantitative methods this longitudinal study tested this idea with 49 newly developing nuclear families. Analysis of the first five years of data offered support to the hypothesis. Qualitative analyses of the participants' interviews gave the strongest support for higher levels of intergenerational fusion being associated with higher levels of nuclear family symptomology. Quantitative analyses also supported the hypothesis. The association between intergenerational fusion, as measured by couple-parent fusion and family financial dependence, and nuclear family functioning increased over the five-year period.     

Ecological Correlates of Family Functioning

Guided by ecological theory, we empirically explored how parents' psychological functioning, social relationships, and demographic characteristics related to family functioning. Our sample of 197 participants included both neglectful and control families. We found statistically significant associations between the predictor variables (i.e., maternal personal maturity, depression, stressful life events, social support, family of origin difficulties, education, income) and family functioning as rated by mothers, caseworkers familiar with the families, and observers who coded family interaction tasks. However, the exact pattern of significant associations differed as a function the rater of family health.     

A comparison of obese and normal-weight families' sychological characteristics

Abstract

The present study assessed obese and normal-weight family members' perceptions of their nuclear family's social and environmental characteristics. Preliminary results support previous correlational and case studies that suggest obese families are dysfunctional. Results from the Family Environment Scale indicate that obese families perceive their family characteristics differently compared to normal-weight families or to a representative sample of families. Specifically, obese families perceive their homes as less cohesive, more conflictual, less interested in social and cultural activities, and less organized compared to normal-weight families. Obese parents also perceive themselves as more controlling and their families as less independent compared to nonobese parents.     

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.     

Intrainformant agreement and family functioning in depressed and nondepressed parents and their children

Abstract

This investigation examined perceptions of family functioning, marital satisfaction, and parent-child bonding in 65 families (child, mother, father) with one or more depressed parents and 26 families with no depressed parent. Intrainformant agreement between offspring and their parents across family functioning measures was examined for the two proband groups. Results revealed more dysfunction in family adaptability, cohesiveness, and parent-child bonding and lower levels of marital satisfaction in the depressed as compared to the nondepressed proband group. Analyses of intrainformant data revealed no significant differences in levels of agreement between informants from the two proband groups for any of the raters. There was, however, significant agreement between informants in both proband groups. Thus, differential reports of family functioning are attributable to variations in perception of functioning, rather than to different levels of internal consistency in reporting across raters in depressed and nondepressed proband groups.     

Family Ritual and Routine: Comparison of Clinical and Non-Clinical Families

Research demonstrates that the constructive use of family rituals is reliably linked to family health and to psychosocial adjustment. This study explores the relationship between family rituals and child well-being. Two samples participated: 21 families whose adolescent was receiving psychiatric treatment and 21 families in which the adolescent was a public school student. A parent and the adolescent were individually interviewed regarding family rituals and completed standardized measures of adolescent and family functioning. Analyses demonstrated that, in addition to significant sample differences in the expected direction on measures of functioning, the non-clinical families scored significantly higher on the index of family rituality than did the treatment families; this is additional evidence that family rituals are a correlate of child well-being. Further analysis of the data pointed to “people resources” as a robust dimension in its association to adolescent functioning. The role family ritual and routine plays in defining family relationships, both within the nuclear family and with other important adults, was significantly related to clinical status. This work may point to an important, yet overlooked, dimension of family ritual life, the relational qualities of rituals and routines.     

Parental conflict and other correlates of the adjustment of school-age children whose parents have separated

In this study, several factors related to psychological adjustment of schoolage children were examined in a sample of 40 lower-class families in which the parents were separated. It was hypothesized that parental conflict and other indices of family adversity, including maternal depression, income, and the length of time past since parental separation, would be important predictors of children's behavioral adjustment. Parental acrimony was found to be a significant correlate of children's behavioral problems, even when other family variables were taken into account. In addition, independent and additive effects on children's functioning were found for parental discord and maternal depression, with some support found for an additional variable, family income. In contrast to some prior investigations, the length of time since parental separation was unrelated to children's functioning. Results are discussed in terms of Rutter's cumulative stress hypothesis and previous research on parental discord.This research was supported in part by a grant to Robert E. Emery from the William T. Grant Foundation.     

Wealthy families and their drug abusing adolescents

Abstract

Researchers have hypothesized that providing care to an elderly relative can negatively affect marital relationships of caregivers. However, no research has directly examined this issue. This study explored the impact of elderly depression and impairment, mental caregiving, caregiver/elderly person relationship closeness, spouse burden, and caregiver burden on caregiver marital happiness (and adjustment) in 90 multigenerational families. No significant relationship was found between these variables and caregiver marital adjustment. A causal model involving the six independent variables and caregiver marital happiness was developed and tested. Elderly depression and caregiver burden directly affected level of caregiver marital happiness. The other four independent variables affected caregiver marital happiness indirectly through caregiver burden. Implications for marriage and family therapists are discussed.     

Review of “Toxic Divorce: A Workbook for Alienated Parents,” by Kathleen M. Reay

Abstract

The interrelationships between perceived family functioning, personality dimensions, life satisfaction, and self-concept were examined in 183 Australian adolescents. Moderate inverse relationships were obtained between Eysenck's Psychoticism dimension and perceived family health. Sociability was positively and moderately related to healthy family functioning. Eysenck's Neuroticism dimension demonstrated a significant, yet modest, relationship to a healthy balance of autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin. In comparison to Eysenck's personality dimensions, life satisfaction and self-esteem were much more strongly associated with perceived family functioning. These findings are discussed in the light of previous research, and some suggestions for future research are made.     

Subjective Well-Being of Brazilian Children from Different Family Settings

Subjective well-being concerns an evaluation of one’s life, considering cognitive and affective aspects. Contextual factors, such as family, may influence this process. One of the main development contexts of children is family and aspects of these relationships, such as different settings, might contribute to children’s subjective well-being. The aim of this study was to compare the well-being of children from different family settings (intact, single-parent, stepfamilies, multigenerational). Participants were 2,135 boys and girls, from 9 to 13 years old (M = 10.97, SD = 0.99), students of public and private schools from a Brazilian southern State. Children answered a questionnaire with sociodemographic variables and three well-being scales (PWI-SC, BMSLSS, GDSI). Children were divided in four groups according to whom they live with (intact, single-parent, stepfamilies, multigenerational families). To evaluate differences between groups a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were performed, considering well-being scales as dependent variables and family setting as independent variable. Results indicated significant differences in the well-being of children in relation to their family setting and age. Children from intact families showed significant positive differences on the well-being from children of other settings (the lowest means were from the children of stepfamilies). It is argued that transitions and instability that children are being subjected to may affect their well-being.

     

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.     

100 Years of Trauma: the Armenian Genocide and Intergenerational Cultural Trauma

The events of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, during which more than 1.5 million Armenians were massacred by the Ottoman Turkish Empire, has left a deep, painful scar on this small but prominent culture. Those who lived through the Armenian Genocide survived death marches, rapes, drownings, physical mutilation, and other such heinous crimes. As they have passed, it is being recognized that subsequent generations continue to fight for justice, manifesting their ancestral pain, sadness, and mourning for the loss of their family members. As sociocultural trauma has a multigenerational impact within families and communities and affects the feeling of membership and belonging within that community, understanding how previous traumas shape future generations of that group is important for clinicians. This article reviews the scarce research on intergenerational trauma in the Armenian community within the United States after the Armenian Genocide, using the constructivist self-development theory to provide clinical implications and suggestions.     

Psychoanalysis,class & politics: Encounters in the clinical setting

Abstract

There is little research and literature available in the United Kingdom which addresses the issues for black and ethnic minority families who have dealings with the family court system. Therefore, this article is based largely on the personal views and experiences of the author. In it I shall be commenting on the functioning of the court in terms of private law concerning children.     

Sequential analysis as a method of feedback for family therapy process

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between therapist verbal behavior and family cooperation and resistance during the second session of family therapy with juvenile delinquents. Sequential analysis was used to investigate the impact of one therapist's behavior on family resistance and cooperation in a sample of 12 families. The results of the sequential analysis revealed that therapist “support” and “teach” behaviors were associated with significant increases in the likelihood of family cooperation. The study provides an example of how sequential analysis can be used to inform family therapists about the impact of their behavior on families.     

Explorer l’expérience subjective du confinement lié à l’épidémie de la Covid-19 par les familles : une analyse interprétative et phénoménologique (IPA) du discours de parents

IntroductionThe COVID-19 containment measures had many effects on parents and children (stress, concerns), and the functioning of the whole family has been disrupted (lifestyle, habits, relationships).ObjectiveThe objective of this work is to highlight the idiosyncratic nature of the experience of confinement, its psychological consequences, and the changes it has induced within families.MethodInterested in the experiences of parents who had been confined within their families, we conducted interviews with parents and analyzed their discourse using the IPA method. We interviewed five parents (38–44 years old) with at least two children each (3–13 years old). Three of the interviewees were women.ResultsWe have identified seven major axes that illustrate the confinement experience of these families: accompanied by extracts from participants’ interviews (verbatims). The subjects lived this experience in confinement as a unique opportunity to spend time with their family and recalibrate what matters to them fundamentally in life.ConclusionThe experience of confinement has brought changes in the daily lives of these parents as well as in their way of understanding their existence. A form of positive revaluation emanates from their discourse.     

Family Perceptions of Living with Alzheimer's Disease

The purpose of this study was to identify the major themes that 38 multigenerational families emphasized in their conversations about living with Alzheimer's disease. Interviews were conducted with families that were providing home care in the early stages of the disease. Family perceptions were analyzed with the aid of a computer content analysis program. Families emphasized four themes: (a) the awareness that something was “wrong”; (b) the uncertain nature of the diagnosis; (c) excluding a family member; and (d) the ambiguous nature of family life with Alzheimer's disease.     

The buffering effect of family functioning on the psychological consequences of headache

The current study aimed to examine whether high family functioning mitigates the association between headache intensity and distress. The sample consisted of 124 patients with chronic or recurrent headache. Patients completed validated questionnaires about headache intensity, family functioning, and distress. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to examine the interaction between headache intensity and family functioning on distress. Headache intensity was positively associated with distress (r = .28, p = .002). As hypothesized, family functioning moderated this association (B = ?.01, p = .023). More specifically, the positive association between headache intensity and distress was significant only among patients with lower family functioning (B = .01, p < .001) and not among patients with higher levels of family functioning (B = .006, p = .075). Functional families appear to buffer the distress level in patients; they showed relatively low levels of distress regardless of the severity of their headache. In contrast, patients with dysfunctional families who experienced more pain reported more distress, presumably because they did not receive adequate help and support from these families. This study underlines the importance of a broader perspective on family dynamics in coping with pain.     

The Family FIRO Model: Exploring Relationship Needs of “At-Risk” Families

This research investigates the conceptualization and application of the family fundamental interpersonal relations orientation(FIRO) model to an at-risk family population. The relationships between the family FIRO domains of inclusion, control, and intimacy and family functioning indices, as measured by the Family Assessment Device (FAD) subscales, were explored. An at-risk family population ( N = 43 primary caretakers) was assessed at four time intervals, using an ex post facto design with multiple linear regression model testing. The results indicated significant relationships between FIRO model domains and FAD subscales. A case example further explored the application of the family FIRO model with at-risk families.     

A research project on successful single-parent families

Abstract

This study was undertaken in order to learn more about the variables associated with successful single-parent families. Twenty-five single parents volunteered to share their positive family experiences. Information was sought on the following topics: 1) ages of family members and length of single-parent family status; 2) education level and income; 3) relations with absent parent; 4) relations with children; 5) use of social networks; and 6) personal outlook and management. The author ends with a hypothesis regarding single-parent family success and suggests counseling implications.