Problems Confronting Families
Divorce Rate
 Intimate Partner Violence
 Child Abuse and Neglect
 Sibling abuse
 Elderly abuse
 Alcoholism

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Universal Principles
All couples and families experience
stress
 Stressors begin or end in the family
 Resources must be found to cope
 All couples and families have internal
strengths
 Internal resources tend to be used
before external resources

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nature of Stress
Stressors—external events that cause
an emotional or physical reaction
 Stress—body’s reaction to demand
 Curvilinear—nature of stress in which
too much, too little stress is problematic
 Distress—unhealthy feelings or reaction
to event
 Eustress—positive response to event

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Curvilinear Nature of Stress
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Stress and Family Life

Stress can emerge as a result of
common life and family events


Stress can occur as a result of
unexpected events


e.g. having a child
e.g. death of a child
Stress can occur when common life
events happen at unexpected time

e.g. teenage daughter having a child
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Boundary Ambiguity
Lack of clarity about whether a person is
in or out of the family
 High ambiguity associated with
increased stress
 Forms:

Psychological presence but physical
absence
 Physical presence, but psychological
absence

Boss, 1999, 2001
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Interconnection in Various Types of
Stress
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Common Life Events Across Stages
of the Life Cycle that Produce Stress

Uncompleted tasks
 Emotional difficulties
in family life
 Unstable economic
situation
 Economic
investments

Medical and/or
dental expenses
 Money for basics
 Change in jobs or
career
Olson, McCubbin and Colleagues, 1989
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Can result from combat or other
traumatic events
 Estimated that 10% of soldiers may have
PTSD
 Domestic violence 5.4 times greater than
those without disorder

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Family Coping Strategies
 Cognitive
 Emotional
 Relationship
oriented
 Community
 Spiritual
 Individual
Development
Burr & Klein, 1994
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Marital Violence
Marital Violence Correlates
 More common among young couples
 Low occupational status
 Income and job dissatisfaction
 Socially isolated couples
 Family of origin violence
 Larger families
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Physical and Psychological Abuse
Physical abuse almost always
accompanied by psychological abuse
 Psychological abuse can occur without
physical abuse:

Damaging by itself
 Predictor of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder


Abuse as a process:

Start with psychological—progressing to
include physical
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Violent Crimes and Perpetrators
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cycle of Violence
HONEYMOON
ACUTE BATTERING
TENSION
Walker, 2000
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Factors Associated With
Spouse Abuse
 Family
of origin  Culture
 Low self esteem  Animal abuse
 Youth
 Alcohol
 Economic stress  Male dominance
 Isolation
 Financial
dependency
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Risk Factors for Child Abuse






Economic distress
Inadequate
parenting skills
Parental personality
problems
Chemical abuse
Social isolation
Special needs child






Large family size
Domestic violence
exposure
Violent subculture
Violent marriage
Single parent
Stepparent
Greater the number of risk factors—greater the likelihood of
abuse
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Perpetrators of Child Maltreatment
45
40.3
40
35
30
25
20
19.1
18
13
15
10
5
0
Fathers
Mothers
Both Parents
Non-Parent
Administration for Children and Families, 2004
© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.