Problems Confronting Families

1. Problems Confronting Families • Divorce Rate • Intimate Partner Violence • Child Abuse and Neglect • Sibling abuse • Elderly abuse • Alcoholism

2. 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

3. 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

4. Curvilinear Nature of Stress

5. Stress and Family Life • Stress can emerge as a result of common life and family events • e.g. having a child • Stress can occur as a result of unexpected events • e.g. death of a child • Stress can occur when common life events happen at unexpected time • e.g. teenage daughter having a child

6. 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

7. Interconnection in Various Types of Stress

8. 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 Common Life Events Across Stages of the Life Cycle that Produce Stress Olson, McCubbin and Colleagues, 1989

9. 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

10. Family Coping Strategies • Cognitive • Emotional • Relationship oriented • Community • Spiritual • Individual Development Burr & Klein, 1994

11. 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

12. 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

13. Violent Crimes and Perpetrators

14. Cycle of Violence HONEYMOON ACUTE BATTERING TENSION Walker, 2000

15. Family of origin Low self esteem Youth Economic stress Isolation Culture Animal abuse Alcohol Male dominance Financial dependency Factors Associated With Spouse Abuse

16. 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 Risk Factors for Child Abuse Greater the number of risk factors—greater the likelihood of abuse

17. Perpetrators of Child Maltreatment Administration for Children and Families, 2004