Why do some families survive stressful situations while others fall apart? Can a family’s beliefs and values be used as a predictor of vulnerability to stress? And most importantly, can family stress be prevented?

The Third Edition of Family Stress Management continues its original commitment to recognize both the external and internal contexts in which distressed families find themselves. With its hallmark Contextual Model of Family Stress (CMFS), the Third Edition provides practitioners and researchers with a useful framework to understand and help distressed individuals, couples, and families. The example of a universal stressor—a death in the family—highlights cultural differences in ways of coping. Throughout, there is new emphasis on diversity and the nuances of family stress management—such as ambiguous loss—plus new discussions on family resilience and community as resources for support.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Chapter 1- Family Stress: An Overview Defining Family Stress Defining Family An Example of Diversity in Family Structure: Grandparents Parenting Grandchildren What Were Our Own Families Like? General Systems Theory: The Family as System Symbolic Interaction as a Basis for Studying Perceptions and Meanings Is There a Family Perception? Problematic Perceptions Diversity and Multiculturalism in Family Stress Management Minority Stress Acculturative and Bicultural Stress The Stress of Discrimination and Racism Gender and Family Stress Trends in the 1970s Trends in the 1980s Trends in the 1990s Current Trends Summary Points to Remember Discussion Questions Note Additional Readings Chapter 2- The Contextual Model of Family Stress Why a Contextual Model? The Family’s External Context Cultural Context Historical Context Economic Context Developmental Context Hereditary Context Summary The Family’s Internal Context (Structural, Psychological, and Philosophical) The ABC-X of Family Stress: A Frame for Definitions The A Factor: Stressor Event (Stressful Event) The Danger of Circular Reasoning Classification of Family Stressor Events Cautions About Defining a Stressor Event The B Factor: Resources (Individual, Family, and Community) The C Factor: Perception The Primacy of Perceptions Collective Versus Individual Perceptions The X Factor: Family Crisis The Roller Coaster Model of Family Crisis Linking the ABC-X Model to the Roller Coaster Model of Family Crisis The Turning Point: Family Recovery After Crisis Family Strain Summary Points to Remember Note Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 3- Multicultural Perspectives of a Universal Stressor The Stress of Grief and Loss from Death Cultural Perceptions of Death and Loss Definitions of Death Resolving Loss Same Religion, Different Culture African American Asian Peruvian Irish Jewish Identity and Status in One’s Family After a Death Applying the Contextual Model of Family Stress to This Universal Stressor Where Is the Field Now? Conclusion Summary Points to Remember Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 4- Ambiguous Loss: A Major Stressor Ambiguous Loss Theory Premise Types of Ambiguous Loss Effects of Ambiguous Loss Individual Level Family Level Community Level Core Assumptions for Working With Ambiguous Loss Interventions: What Helps With Ambiguous Loss? What Ambiguous Loss Is Not Ambiguity Is Not Ambivalence Ambiguity Is Not Uncertainty Ambiguous Loss and Spirituality Ambiguous Gain Versus Ambiguous Loss Conclusion Summary Points to Remember Notes Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 5- Boundary Ambiguity: A Perceptual Risk Factor in Family Stress Management Measurement of Boundary Ambiguity History of Boundary Ambiguity Sociological and Psychological Roots Family Therapy Roots Entries and Exits; Gains and Losses Normative Developmental Boundary Ambiguity Across the Family Life Cycle Exceptions and Nuances Effects of Boundary Ambiguity Assumptions About Boundary Ambiguity What Boundary Ambiguity Is Not Boundary Ambiguity Is Not Boundary Maintenance Boundary Ambiguity Is Not Boundary Permeability Intervention for Boundary Ambiguity New Studies and Future Directions Summary Points to Remember Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 6- Family Coping, Adapting, and Managing Defining Individual and Family Coping Individual Coping Family Coping Current Trends in Coping Research Denial Coping Approach/Avoidance Coping Forbearance Coping Preparedness Coping Humor Coping Religious Coping Repressive Coping Coping Ugly Coping and the Contextual Model of Family Stress Family Coping Resources Individual Coping Resources Community Resources for Family Coping Intervention and Prevention Psychoeducation as Effective Family Stress Intervention How Did This Simple but Revolutionary Idea in Mental Health Treatment Come About? The First Step: Where to Begin? Complexities of the Coping Process The Paradox of Individual Versus Family Coping The Paradox of Functional Versus Dysfunctional Coping Dialectical Thinking: Definition and Early Roots The Chain Reaction of Coping or the Codetermination of Events Cautions About Coping Concluding Thoughts for Future Work Summary Points to Remember Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 7- Resilience for Managing Stress The Difference Between Coping and Resilience Defining Resilience Resilience and Family Stress Individual, Family, and Community Resilience Ordinary Magic Resilience and the Contextual Model of Family Stress The Family’s External Context The Family’s Internal Context Revisiting the ABC-X Approach Adversity and Resilience Positive, Tolerable, and Toxic Stress Intensity of Adversity The Era of Resilience Resilience Theorizing and Research Over the Years Individual Resilience Family Resilience Family Science Conceptual Frameworks Focused on Resilience Life Course Theory Symbolic Interaction Theory Family Stress Theory An Example: Application to Military Families A Third-Wave Family Resilience Framework Resilience Frameworks Focused on Particular Situations Resilience-Informed Professional Practice Prevention and Resilience Use of Family Resilience Frameworks Cautions About Resilience Troublesome Theorizing The Cost of Resilience Rebellion and Opposing the Status Quo Conclusion Summary Points to Remember Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 8- Families, Communities, and Neighborhoods Defining Community and Neighborhood Sense of Community Virtual Sense of Community Community and Neighborhood Communities and the Contextual Model of Family Stress Research Findings on Families and Communities Informal Connections and Relationships Formal System Programs for Families Neighborhood Risk Exposure to Violence Other Dimensions of Communities The Social Organization Framework Informal Networks The Physical Environment Community Capacity Results for Families The Value of Social Connections for Families Resilient Communities Four Types of Communities Fluid and Dynamic Communities Social Cohesion Communities as Place and Force for Prevention and Intervention With Distressed Families Communities as Place Communities as Force Community Family Therapy Conclusion Summary Points to Remember Note Discussion Questions Additional Readings Chapter 9- Future Challenges to Family Stress Management Health Disparities Climate Change Widening Economic Gulf Between Low and High Income Families Increasing Work Pressures and Economic Conditions Terrorism Conflict Driven by Religious Differences Family Caregiving Challenges and Dilemmas Transgender Trends and Challenges Increasing Focus on Community Violence in Communities Families on New Shores Additional Factors to Consider About the Study of Family Stress Conclusion Summary Points to Remember Discussion Questions Additional Readings References Index