The present study developed a theoretical framework for understanding the social mechanisms underlying disclosure and its link with relationship satisfaction in a full family design. A study among 262 intact families, consisting of 2 children and 2 adults and involving 1,048 individuals, applied the social relations model. Results showed that…

Assesses the well-being of adolescents in cohabiting parent stepfamilies. Teens living with cohabiting stepparents often fare worse than teens living with two biological married parents. Adolescents living in cohabiting stepfamilies experience greater disadvantage than teens living in married stepfamilies. Most of these differences, however, are…

Truancy is a considerable problem among adolescents. Considering the historical emphasis on studying truancy in urban regions, a concerted effort is needed to extend this research into rural areas to examine cultural generalizability of findings. The purpose of this study was to assess variables associated with truancy in a rural sample (N = 367)…

Foster care has become the principal placement of choice for children and young people in public care in the United Kingdom (UK). This has been accompanied by a significant growth in its research scrutiny connected to a busy policy agenda, especially since 1997. With its increased usage, fostering has encountered both difficulties and…

This study explores from a dual perspective the impact of the fostering process on biological children in the home. Ten foster parents and their biological children were interviewed separately. The impact of foster care on the psychological, educational, and social well-being of biological children and their relationship with parents and siblings…

Background: The quality of the family relationships plays an important role in the development of children's psychopathology and in their socio-emotional development. This longitudinal study aims to investigate whether family relationships are related to children's symptoms/strengths at kindergarten, and whether family relationships are predictors…

This study examined correlates of early adolescent alcohol and drug use in a community sample of 217 eighth-grade adolescents with behavior problems and from Hispanic/Latino immigrant families. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships of multiple contexts (e.g., family, school, and peers) to alcohol and drug use. Results…

This report offers a theoretical approach to the study of family adaptation to stress. Major works pertaining to family theory, research, and stress, published since 1979, are explored as a theoretical framework, and three conclusions are drawn from these sources: (1) Hill's ABCX model of family stress still influences family stress research; (2)…

Ecological violations, observer problems, and intrusions of real world phenomena are discussed in relation to observations of family interaction in home settings. (Author/SB)

Hosted by poet and author Maya Angelou, this video focuses on the important, grandparent, parent, and child relationship. The 30-minute video features real-life grandparents and is based on the most current child development research. The video: (1) highlights the profound effects grandparents can have on the lives of their grandchildren; (2)…

Staff of the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services concluded that the objective of family reconstitution was not appropriate to the entire client population being served. Family characteristics are reported that present obstacles to the goal of reunification of sexually abusive families. (Author/RH)

Examines the portrayal of family relationships in domestic comedy television programs. Selects eight popular programs for view by subjects who then evaluate each television family with scales drawn from family theory. Reveals a model in which children construct a relatively hostile relational environment and parents exert a compensatory effect,…

Children growing up in households where aggression, physical abuse and other antisocial acts are the norm often act out in school. Rather than treating these children simply as troublemakers, it is imperative to get to the root of the problem and help them deal with their anger appropriately. (GCP)

Discusses child rearing practices which can be learned from the Cosby Show. Consistently interwoven in the dialog each week are family guidelines related to self-esteem building, independence, trust, values, and humor. (RJC)

A study of 230 college students (65 with divorced parents) showed that family relationship variables (conflict, cohesion, and expressiveness) were related to vocational identity. Expressiveness was the most predictive. Parents' marital status was unrelated to vocational identity. (SK)