1. Chapter 15: Family Change: Stress, Crisis, and Transition

2. Family Development Stress
Stressor
Anything that elicits a physiological and/or psychological response – a stress response
Good stress – eustress
Negative stress - distress

3. Categories of Common Stressors
Personal
Social/family
Work
Environmental

4. Family Life Cycle Developmental Tasks
Changes in Structure
Family structure is dynamic
Must adapt to ongoing changes in the system
Changes in Family Roles
As structure changes, family roles change
Changes occur in family boundaries

5. Family Life Cycle Developmental Tasks
Changes in Family Roles
As roles change, communication changes
Individual growth demands change

6. Family as a System Family is a system of interrelated parts
Family members affect and are affected by each other
Each family must be viewed as a whole
Each family’s goal is to maintain homeostasis or balance

7. Figure 15.1: Stages of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

8. General Adaptation Syndrome
Describes the physiological responses to eustress and distress
Stage 1: Alarm Reaction
The brain perceives the stressor and signals the body to deal with it through neurological and physiological means
The body reacts to the threat
Fight or flight tendency

9. General Adaptation Syndrome
Stage 2 : Stage of Resistance
The body continues to battle the stressor and remains in a state of arousal
Increased level of stress steroids alarms the body’s organs
Energy eventually becomes depleted

10. General Adaptation Syndrome
Stage 3: Exhaustion
Chronic unrelenting stress or mismanaged stress can cause permanent damage
The body over time simply breaks down
People under stress may experience a variety of symptoms – headaches, nausea, depression, crying, fatigue, anger, racing heart, inability to eat or sleep, and more

11. Event Based Stress A life change event
One that is forever life altering
One that requires significant social and psychological adjustment

12. Social Readjustment Rating Scale
Identifies association between life events and life transitions
Identifies the impact of these events and transitions on individual physical health and well-being

13. Transactional Model of Stress
The impact of the stressor is wholly dependent on our perception and appraisal of the stressor
Primary appraisal – instinctively evaluate the stressor and assess its significance
Secondary appraisal – assess how controllable the stressor is and which resources

14. Locus of Control External Locus of Control
The perception that we cannot control what happens to some aspects of our lives
Internal Locus of Control
The perception that we are in control of our destiny

15. Coping Efforts
Strategies used to bring order to, normalize, or regulate the stressor
Problem management strategies
Aimed directly at attacking the stressor
Emotional regulation strategies
Help individuals change their perceptions, interpretation, and the meaning of the stressor
Meaning based strategies
Techniques that produced positive emotion

16. Table 15.2: Types of Family Crises

17. Four Types of Family Crisis
Dismemberment – separation of isolation of an individual from the rest of the family
Accession – when turbulence occurs due to the addition of a family member
Demoralization plus Dismemberment or Accession- family is demoralized because of embarrassing stressors such as imprisonment or suicide of a family member

18. Figure 15.2: Hill’s ABC –X Model of Family Stress

19. The ABC’s of Family Crisis
ABC-X Family Crisis Model – Reuben Hill
Family crisis is a combination of factors and the outcomes of the event
The A Factor – stress can be normative development such as the birth of a child, marriage of an adult child, early death of a spouse – are family specific

20. ABC-X Model continued
The B Factor- refers to the resources the family has that will help meet the demands of the stressor or crisis – communication, problem solving, coping strategies
The C Factor – the definition the family assigns to change, transition, stressor, or disruption

21. ABC-X Model continued
The X Factor – this is the combination of A, B and C and is totally dependent on the resources the family has to meet the crisis or stressor

22. Double ABC-X model Stressors pile up on families
3 types of stressors that lead to the pile-up
Initial stressor: the first stressor
Family life changes and transitions: things that take place regardless of stressors
Stressors: those stressors associated with family’s attempt to cope with circumstances

23. Double ABC-X model The Double B Factor
Resources that family already has – minimize impacts
Coping resources – self reliance, self esteem

24. Double ABC-X model The Double C Factor
The perception of the event or stressor may be
The family’s perception of the stressor itself
The family’s perception of the crisis

25. Double ABC-X model The Double X Factor Possible outcomes of stress
Family adaptation – return to pre-crisis level of functioning
Maladaptive levels of functioning – low-functioning, ill-functioning, non-functioning
Bonadaptive – level of functioning may grow and strengthen

26. Figure 15.3: McCubbin’s Double ABC-X Model of Family Stress and Crisis: Pile-Up

27. Family Adaptive Tasks To successfully adjust, families must
Establish the meaning and understand the personal significance of the situation
Confront reality and respond to the requirements of the external situation
Sustain relationships with family members and friends as well as with other individuals who may be helpful in resolving the crisis and aftermath

28. Family Adaptive Tasks
Preserve a reasonable emotional balance by managing distressful feelings in response to the situation
Preserve a satisfactory self-image and maintain a sense of competence and mastery

29. Family Violence
Violence perpetrated against family members by an offender who is related to the victim biologically or legally
Batterers – current or former spouses, parents, guardians, children, siblings, grandchildren, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces

30. Figure 15.4: Domestic Partner Violence by Race/Ethnicity and Gender

31. Domestic Violence Categories
Physical Violence – hitting, punching, pushing, slapping, biting, or throwing something at the victim
Emotional violence – controlling the amount of contact with others, name calling, criticism, controlling spending, excessive rule making

32. More Domestic Violence
Sexual violence – marital rape, battering rape, and forced sexual acts

33. Measuring Domestic Violence
Measured in two ways
Through survey interviews with victims
Through statistics gathered by police

34. The Battered Characteristics of the battered Lower educational levels
Teenage parents
Women who are single parents
Women who have witnessed a parent being battered

35. Prevalence of Domestic Violence
1 in 4 women have been physically or sexually abused by an intimate partner
Women are more likely than men to be victims
3/4 of the people who commit family violence are men
74% of family violence victims are white, 13.6% are African American and 10.1 % are Hispanic

36. More Domestic Violence Facts
Girlfriends are more likely to be injured by their boyfriends during family violence than are wives by their husbands
15% of all violent acts between intimate partners are perpetrated against men
18% of family murders are siblings who kill siblings

37. Figure 15.5 Primary Populations Served by Domestic Violence Shelters

38. Domestic Homicides
Everyday an average of 4 women in the U.S. are killed by their intimate partners
Of all murders in the U.S., 21.5% are committed against family members
Intimate partner violence is the leading cause of death among pregnant women
Whites are more likely to die at the hands of their partners than other races

39. Violence Against Children
Each year over 3 million children experience some type of maltreatment or abuse by a caregiver
61% are neglected
19% are physically abused
10% are sexually abused
5% are psychologically abused
2% experience medical maltreatment
17% experience abandonment

40. Figure 15.6: Types of Child Abuse and Neglect by Percentage of Total Abuse

41. Figure 15.7: Who Abuses Children?

42. Violence Against Same Sex Partners
6,523 incidents of domestic violence among same sex partners
44% of victims were men, 36% were women and 2% were transgendered
44% were white, 25% were Latino, 15% were African American and 6% were Asian

43. The Signs of an Abusive Partner
The Batterer
Low self-esteem
Blame others for their behavior
Typically extremely jealous
Use sex as their weapon of aggression
Need to control and dominate and become master manipulators

44. The Cycle of Violence
Tension Building – victim senses an explosive, violent episode is about to occur, fear builds, she tries to stay out of his way; goal is to prevent batterer from becoming violent

45. The Cycle of Violence
Acute Battering Incident – destructive, out of control, brutal, violence has escalated into an acute battering incident, can become deadly, verbal abuse, severe beating, possible rape, victim does not usually fight back

46. The Cycle of Violence
Respite Phase – often called the “honeymoon,” abuser apologizes, may give victim gifts, express his regret, victim may have sense of renewed hope

47. Figure 15.8: The Power and

48. Figure 15.10 Lenore Walker’s Cycle of Violence P. 512

49. Family Coping and Resilience
Major Types of Coping Skills
Appraisal focused – attempt to understand why crisis occurred and attempt to find meaning in circumstances that caused crisis
Problem focused coping – allows family to confront the situation by seeking information about the crisis

50. Family Coping and Resilience
Emotion focused coping – crisis evokes a wide range of feelings and emotions
Progressive desensitization: gradually allow increasing exposure to aspects of the stressor
Emotional discharge: venting of anger, frustration, confusion, disappointment
Resigned acceptance: family ultimately accepts the situation, recognizes nothing will change the course their family has taken

51. Family Resilience
A family’s ability to function during times of stress, adversity, crisis, and transition
Resilience Processes
Family belief system
Making meaning of adversity
Positive outlook
Flexibility
Connectedness
Communication