Many things can cause family stress: a sudden illness, financial difficulties, unexpected death, substance abuse, community violence. While some families fall apart during a crisis, many remain intact and are able to withstand the circumstances. Adaptation is a factor in the ability to remain strong and scientists are still researching how some families are better at using coping strategies than others.
History
Reuben Hill was a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. His expertise was studying the functions of marriage and families and how families withstood crisis. He is most famous for researching the affects of World War II on returning veterans and their families. In researching these families, he realized that some of them had buffer factors that kept them intact. He then took all of the factors into consideration and devised the ABCX theory of family stress.
Significance
Basically, the theory focuses on how well the family uses their external and internal social connections as resources in helping them cope. He theorized that social isolation is a key factor in the dissolution of a family. The internal social connectedness had to do with how the family shared one another's perception of the crisis. If they all looked upon the crisis as an opportunity to change and learn from it, they were more likely to stay intact.
Effects
Hill's theory has been monumental in family studies and paved the way for many other family psychologists to springboard off his philosophy. Marilyn McCubbin and her daughter Laurie McCubbin are two clinical researchers who did just that and came up with their resiliency model.
Adaptation
McCubbin and McCubbin's model focused on two key components: the adjustment phase and the adaptation phase. The McCubbin's recognized that over time, most families would face difficult situations and change is just a normal aspect of family life. Families are able to withstand these hardships if they pull from their natural family fortitude and use analytical skills to adapt to the situation. The McCubbins also noted that the strength of a family was twofold: it blended in with the community the family lived in and it held the family together.
Theories/Speculation
Poverty is another area that is being studied as a major family stressor. Martha E. Wadsworth, associate professor at the University of Denver in the Department of Psychology, is studying the psychological affects of poverty on children mainly in urban settings. Positive thinking and redirecting their thoughts to other outlets, such as school, are good coping mechanisms that Wadsworth observed in economically disadvantaged children. On the other hand, denial was not a good coping strategy and often led to psychopathic behavior. Wadsworth's study is important because it takes into consideration the ecological aspect of urban living. Wadsworth noted that a city life of poverty produced poor physical health in people as well as psychological stress.
References
- Parenthood in America: A Multi-Family Approach: Families and Schools Together (FAST) Builds Protective Factors In Potentially Neglectful Families
- Nursing Care of Families: NAU Online: Family Theory as a Framework for Assessment
- University of Denver Department of Psychology DU Department of Psychology Faculty: Martha Wadsworth
