Perceived Family Functioning and Family Resources of Hong Kong Families: Implications for Social Work Practice

This article reports the results of a telephone survey (n = 1,015 respondents) that aims to identify the perceived general family functioning and family resources of Hong Kong Chinese families and their linkage to each other in a rapidly transforming society. The perceived general family functioning of the respondents was average, and the five types of family resources—time, income, human capital, psychological capital, and social capital—of the respondents ranged from average to good. The following family resource domains, in descending order, have accounted for significant variance in perceived general family functioning: income, time spent with family, stress coping efficacy, religion, and satisfaction with the living environment. Our findings provide empirical support for policy formulation and social work practice.     

The Impact of Family Functioning on Caregiver Burden among Caregivers of Veterans with Congestive Heart Failure

A cross-sectional study of 76 family caregivers of older veterans with congestive heart failure utilized the McMaster model of family functioning to examine the impact of family functioning variables (problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, and affective involvement) on caregiver burden dimensions (relationship burden, objective burden, stress burden, and uplifts). Regression analyses indicated that the five dimensions of family functioning were significantly related (p < 0.01) to relationship burden (R ² = .27) and uplifts (R ² = .29). More specifically, increased relationship burden was associated with problems in family roles, and increased uplifts was related to higher levels of affective responsiveness.     

Family Capital: Implications for Interventions with Families

Social capital has been extensively discussed in the literature as building blocks that individuals and communities utilize to leverage system resources. Similarly, some families also create capital, which can enable members of the family, such as children, to successfully negotiate the outside world. Families in poverty confront serious challenges in developing positive family capital, because of lack of resources. For those families that are successful in developing positive family capital, family capital can help to create positive outcomes for family interactions. Thus, family capital can provide information about opportunities, exert influence on agents who make decisions involving the actor, provide social credentials that indicate a connection to a social network, and reinforce the actor's identity and recognition, which maintains access and entitlement to these social resources.     

Understanding Acculturation,Depressive Symptoms,and the Protective Role of Family Involvement Among Latino(a) Immigrant Families

Although the relationship between varying levels of acculturation and depressive symptoms has been established among Latino(a) youth, the positive role of family involvement in relation to depressive symptoms among immigrant Latino(a) families has been studied less. This study draws on a sample of first-generation Latino(a) youth from the Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation Study and explores the relationship between acculturation levels and depressive symptoms, as well as the protective role of family involvement. Although results do not support a relationship between acculturation and depressive symptoms, family involvement was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms while taking important sociodemographic variables into consideration. Research and practice implications with Latino(a) immigrant families are discussed.     

Adult Attachment and Stepparenting Issues: Couple Relationship Quality as a Mediating Factor

Using a sample of 390 stepparents, we assess the influence of insecure attachment and couple relationship quality on stepparenting issues. We also examine the extent to which relationship quality mediates connections between attachment and stepparenting issues. Results from ordinary least squares regression and Sobel tests indicate greater levels of attachment avoidance and anxiety are associated with greater levels of stepparenting issues. Results also indicate greater levels of relationship satisfaction and stability are associated with less stepparenting issues. Relationship satisfaction and stability significantly mediate the influence of attachment anxiety on stepparenting issues. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Narratives of Socialization: Perceptions of Parental Influence After Childhood Divorce

Despite substantial research on the consequences of parental divorce, no studies have investigated offspring discourse about parents’ influences. This study draws on a sample of university students and uses a grounded theory approach to identify four types of socialization narratives. These narratives include (a) fear of unintentional modeling, (b) absence of effective modeling, (c) determination to avoid parental mistakes, and (d) fear of self- or partner change. For the first three types, young adults link perceptions of relationship socialization to a specific parental trait or relationship pattern. The fourth type reflects generalized conclusions about human change over the life course.     

Boundary Ambiguity in Gay Stepfamilies: Perspectives of Gay Biological Fathers and Their Same-Sex Partners

Gay stepfamilies have their own unique stressors that impact the individual member's ability to form a family. Through in-depth interviews, gay biological fathers and their same-sex partners described their experiences in their stepfamilies. The conceptual framework of boundary ambiguity is used to frame the experiences of institutional and interpersonal stressors that influence these family members.     

Family Structure,Gender, and Adolescent Emotional Well-Being

This article focuses on gender differences in emotional well-being of adolescents in five different family settings. It analyzes two main mediators—economic deprivation and parental socialization—and is based on unusually rich survey data combining parental and child reports as well as information from administrative registers. The results show lower well-being of children in single-mother families and stepfamilies. These associations are mainly mediated through parental socialization rather than economic deprivation, except for girls in their early to midteens living with a single mother. Different patterns of lower well-being levels for boys and girls in different family settings are found.     

Divorce and Coparenting: A Qualitative Study on Family Mediation in Italy

This qualitative study intended to assess how intergenerational transformative family mediation is a resource in promoting and supporting coparenting during the transition of divorce. There were 2 goals: to assess parents’ perceptions of key topics of family mediation and to compare their perceptions concerning different moments of the intervention. Fifteen Italian parents were interviewed using an ad hoc semistructured interview. Data were analyzed using the textual analysis software T-LAB. Findings showed mediator, pragmatic aspects, and family relationships as the most salient aspects of mediation. Significant differences emerged among the beginning, the middle phase, and the end of this intervention.     

The Experience of Nonresidential Stepmothers

Despite the growing body of research examining the experience of stepparents, very little is known about the unique experience of nonresidential stepparents. This research examined the experience of nonresidential stepmothers (N = 10) using semistructured interviews. Thematic content analysis identified 2 principal themes. Those themes were perceived control (with the subtheme of visitation and parenting and financial matters) and psychological and physical well-being. The perceived inability to control parenting practices during periods of visitation and financial matters associated with the payment of child support generated a sense of powerlessness, anger, and resentment that manifested in depression. Implications for family service providers and clinicians working with stepfamilies are discussed.