Family Ties, Living Arrangement, and Marital Satisfaction

This study investigates the role of strong family ties in the decisions of living arrangement and intergenerational transfer as well as their effects on marital satisfaction in Taiwan where cultural traditions emphasize more familial interest and filial obligations. Even though the rapid economic and democratic developments have led to many adjustments in family structure, this study’s findings suggest that intergenerational relationship still strongly affects the level of marital satisfaction for married children. The strength of family ties is positively correlated with the possibilities of intergenerational co-residence and resource transfer. However, the positive effect of intergenerational co-residence on marital satisfaction is relatively more apparent for married individuals when they live with their own fathers. The influences of strong family ties tend to take place along male lineage under the structure of a patrilineal family.     

Narrative Child Family Therapy

In this article, child family therapy is presented as a hermeneutic activity shaped by an interest in the evolving narrative. Over brief, analytic play interviews, the therapist documents a child's narrative understanding of the presenting family problem. This allows psychological meaning to be jointly constructed in therapeutic conversation with the child and family. The idea of play as narrative integrates child psychotherapy into recent social constructionist thinking in family therapy. The article also discusses how narrative therapists can use prior theory and training.     

家庭社会资本及其相关因素

家庭社会资本是社会资本理论应用于家庭发展研究的重要体现。儿童发展结果受到各种因素的影响,其中家庭社会资本的影响日益引起研究者关注。该文主要综述了家庭社会资本与儿童发展结果的研究进展,指出了影响家庭社会资本的因素,以及家庭社会资本影响的可能性结果。该文也指出家庭社会资本的现有研究特点与未来发展趋势。     

Child Participation in Family Therapy

The full involvement of children, particularly those of younger ages, in family therapy presents a personal and professional challenge to the therapist. Out of his own needs he may favor involvement with one or another generation rather than with the complete three generation family. This issue is discussed and suggestions for therapeutic use of younger children are presented.     

Family Structure and Child Adjustment in Spain

This paper presents the results of a study carried out in Spain with 214 families with children aged between 3 and 10, comparing the quality of family context and the internal and external adjustment of children living in six different types of family structure: traditional, single-parent, stepfamilies, adoptive, same-sex parent and multiple-birth. Members of the research team interviewed the families in their homes and administered the assessment instruments (Development History, HOME inventory, Parenting Stress Index and Behavior Assessment System for Children). The results indicate that although some significant differences were observed between families (children living in same-sex parent families scored higher for internal and external adjustment, and those from stepfamilies scored lowest in these same measures), these differences disappeared when the effects of sociodemographic and contextual variables were statistically controlled in a covariance analysis. It can therefore be concluded that it was not family structure itself that was related to children’s adjustment, but rather the sociodemographic and contextual variables associated with it. Thus, all the family structures analysed in the study are capable of promoting positive child development and adjustment, providing they meet the necessary conditions, such as good-quality care and a stimulating environment free from conflict and stress.     

Child Maltreatment,Family Characteristics and Adult Adjustment

Abstract

Two alternate processes that may explain the relationship between child maltreatment, childhood family characteristics and adult adjustment (mediation and moderation) were tested using retrospective data from a community sample (N= 175). The levels of five different types of child maltreatment did not mediate the relationship between childhood family variables and adult adjustment. In contrast, family background played a mediating role in the relationship between mal-treatment and adjustment. Evidence of moderation was found in the interactions between different maltreatment types in predicting adjustment. Partial support was found for the moderating influence of family factors on the relationship of maltreatment to adjustment.     

Family Instability and Child Maladjustment Trajectories During Elementary School

This study examines the relation between family instability and child maladjustment over a 6-year period in 369 children from four communities. Measures were collected annually from kindergarten through fifth grade. In associative growth curve models, family instability trajectories predicted children's externalizing and internalizing behavior trajectories during this time period. High levels of family instability also incrementally predicted the likelihood of meeting criteria for a DSM IV diagnosis during elementary school, above and beyond prediction from earlier measures of maladjustment. However, the timing of family instability had a different effect on externalizing versus internalizing disorders. In general, stronger relations were found between family instability and externalizing behaviors relative to internalizing behaviors, although children with comorbid disorders experienced the highest levels of family instability.The Conduct Problems Prevention Research group is comprised of Karen L. Bierman (Pennsylvania State University), John D. Coie (Duke University), Kenneth A. Dodge (Duke University), E. Michael Foster (Pennsylvania State University), Mark Greenberg (Pennsylvania State University), John E. Lochman (University of Alabama), Robert J. McMahon (University of Washington), and Ellen E. Pinderhughes (Tufts University)     

The Ethnic Context of Child and Adolescent Problem Behavior: Implications for Child and Family Interventions

This article links the empirical literature on race and ethnicity in developmental psychopathology with interventions designed to reduce adolescent problem behavior. We present a conceptual framework in which culture is endogenous to the socialization of youth and the development of specific self-regulatory strategies. The importance of cultural influence is identified at three levels: (a) intrapersonal developmental processes (e.g., ethnic identity development, development of coping modifies mechanisms and self-regulatory mechanisms), (b) family socialization processes (e.g., racial and ethnic socialization), and (c) interaction with larger societal contexts (e.g., maintenance of bicultural competence in adapting to mainstream and ethnic cultures). We discuss limitations of current assessment and intervention practices that focus on reducing adolescent problem behavior with respect to the cultural issues identified above. We propose that empirically supported adaptive and tailored interventions for adolescent problem behavior are optimal for serving multicultural children and families. To empower such interventions to better serve children and families of color, it is essential that assessments that guide the adaptation and tailoring process include culturally salient dynamics such as ethnic identity, racial socialization, and culturally informed parenting practices. This work is supported by an NRSA grant to the first author, and the following for the second author: grants DA07031, DA13773, and DA16110 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.     

家庭与儿童发展：一个充满生命力的研究领域

个体从呱呱坠地到去世,整个一生都是在家庭的伴随下而成长、发展的。尽管在个体不同的发展阶段,家庭对个体发展的影响作用不同,但是个体始终不会,也不可能脱离家庭的影响而成长和发展。这是吸引研究者关注家庭在儿童发展中重要作用的主要原因之一。     

Parental Perceptions of Characteristics of Non-Parental Child Care: Belief Dimensions, Family and Child Correlates

Investigators argue that it is essential to consider why parents select non-parental child care arrangements in studying the effects of that care on a child’s development. Existing investigations explore family economic and demographic characteristics as determinants of child care choice. The present investigation examined a wide array of parents’ beliefs about characteristics of child care arrangements with the goal of determining if these could be reduced to coherent dimensions. The emergent belief sets were examined in relation to maternal and child characteristics as potential correlates. Two hundred and twenty respondents with children in non-parental care completed surveys. These individuals represent diverse ethnic and economic groups. Ratings of the importance of characteristics were factor analyzed resulting in a six factor solution: Practical Concerns, Institutional Structure, Curriculum, Scheduling, Child Centered Orientation and School Readiness. The latter factor, or program components promoting social skills and classroom behaviors associated with succeeding in school, was identified as the most important dimension. Parents describing their children as more difficult temperamentally and as less developmentally advanced tended to describe school readiness and curriculum issues as less important. Child characteristics accounted for unique variance above and beyond mothers’ characteristics in predicting to parental beliefs. Results suggest that parents as consumers possess coherent belief sets and are sensitive to children’s developmental needs in evaluating care arrangements.     

Family Conflict in the Psychopathology of the Kibbutz Child

Over the past twenty years, the author has had a unique opportunity to observe the incidence and nature of emotional disorders exhibited by the child population of about one hundred Israeli kibbutz settlements. An analysis of this clinical material shows that those factors related to disturbed relationships within the kibbutz family far outnumber all other pathogenic elements, both in the frequency of their appearance and the severity of their impact. A distinct pattern of family malfunctioning appears to be the most significant pathogenic element — this despite the centralized caretaking, training, and socializing functions of the kibbutz educators, to whom many tasks ordinarily performed by parents in the traditional family situation, have been delegated.     

Family Communication Patterns,Discourse Behavior,and Child Television Viewing

This study investigated the relationship between the Family Communication Patterns (FCP) Inventory and parent-child discourse, the effect of FCP scores on child compliance, and the effect of parent discourse strategies on child compliance. Parents and children did not appear to agree about the norms in their family and appeared to be using different instances of discourse to draw conclusions about their family. For parents, control orientation was related to controlling verbal strategies; for children, control was related to global negative affect. Communication orientation was related to information sharing for parents but to fewer parental commands for children. In addition, greater control orientation resulted in less compliance. Parent discourse strategies also were related to child compliance. Younger children were more compliant when parents used directive language coupled with positive affect, but older children were less compliant in response to this verbal strategy.     

Family Change Groups for the Early School Age Child

Children who have recently undergone radical family changes may experience difficulty in coping with the stress that their new situation may evoke. These situations include a recent divorce or separation, joining a foster family, going to live with relative, death or serious illness of a sibling or parent, or incarceration of one of the parents. It may involve living in a non-typical family. The focus of his article is on a family change program which has been found to facilitate the adaptation and the further development of coping skills of the 5-7 year old child who has recently undergone family changes. This article is based on experience with approximately 30 groups over a five year period with this and other age groups. The groups usually consist of 4 to 5 children with one leader. The 8-12 sessions for each group last approximately 40-60 minutes. The treatment goals include coping more effectively with stress evoked by the child's unique living situation, mdfying distorted cognitions associated with the family situation, learning lo relax and resolving sleeping problems. The interventions include reading and discussion of excerpts from children's books, relaxation and imagery training, token reinforcement, modeling, self instructional training, homework, cognitive correction, and interactive games and crafts. Consumer satisfaction and that of parents and teachers referring the child has been high. Most treatment goals appear to have been achieved.