Family Monday October 26 2015 1 05 PM Family How does a family form and meet the needs of the child What do families provide children o Basic material necessities food shelter safety o Encourage learning o Help development of self respect o Helps with personal development sports o Helps with emotional development o Nurture friendships o Foster harmony and stability Family Structure Relationships among relatives living in the same home with the child o Who lives with who Single parenting Two home divorced families step families Extended or blended families grandparents Adopted children Two parent families in one home Foster family Families separated due to deployment or illness What Percentage Live in Single Parent Home Consists of only one parent and his her children under age 18 More than half of US children will live in a single parent family before they reach age 18 Single Parent Family Due to o Mother not marrying or cohabitating when born o And or to parents separating divorcing o Or parental death Challenges of single parenting o On average structure functions less well than more than one parent adult in home o Lower income o Less stability More moves More new adults o Stress from multiple roles o Children who fare worse in school and in adult life than most other children Benefit from community support Nuclear Family Two Parent Family Consists of a father mother and children under age 18 Structure generally makes it easier to provide for the children o Two parent home Allows families to be wealthier Better educated Healthier More flexible Less hostile Happy nuclear family high risk for marital distress o Most couples become distressed by the sixth year of marriage o Half of the marriages end within the first seven years Other Two Parent Families Divorced families o Stepparent families Some function well Positive relationships more easily formed with children under 2 More difficult with teenagers Solid parental alliance more difficult to form New families o Adoptive and foster parent families Typically function well Often better than average nuclear families Vary tremendously in ability to meet child needs Special challenges for grandparents to raise grandchildren Additional two parent families o Same sex couple families Generally children develop well Limited long term studies Diversity of Family Structures Extended family o Consists of parents their children other relatives living in one household o Includes one in six US families o Particularly common when children are small o Less costly and more common in low income households Polygamous family o Consists of one man several wives and the biological children of the man and his wives o Rare and illegal in US Structure of family can change across childhood Family Structure Don t need to memorize Culture and Family Structure Cultural context always matters and varies in support in relation to how the family is structured o Single parenthood o Cohabiting living together not married Not safe Not stable o US data indicates in US cohabiting structure is worse for children than marriage due to higher separation incidence Family Structure x Child Wellbeing Aspects of family context have greatest impact on children Not as predictive of child wellbeing as other factors such as quality of family life o Harmony o Parental alliance o Marital conflict o Stability o Low income Low Income Poverty family stress model o Adults stressful reaction to poverty is crucial in determining the effect on the children o Effects of poverty are cumulative low SES is especially damaging during middle childhood Couples as Parents Even if marriage ends parents usually continue to parent together to some degree conflict often continues between parents Parental Divorce US leads world in rates of divorce and remarriage Consequences for Living Situation of Children of Divorced Parents Change in family structure o Single parent families o Step parent families and high chance of second break up of family Loss of parent parents less available often less contact with father Changes moving school home Worsening of financial situation Exposure to parental conflict What is the Impact of Divorce On average divorce impacts children s academic achievement and psychosocial development for years even decades o Research evidence mostly see impact the first two years post divorce o Adjustment further depends on many factors Age Differences Older children may also experience relief if marriage was characterized by high conflict or aggression Younger children may be more likely to blame themselves and feel guilty Results of Analysis of 95 Studies Studies comparing children of divorced and intact families o More behavioral problems aggressiveness impulsiveness antisocial conduct problems o More relationship difficulties o Poorer psychological adjustment o Lower academic achievement Short term Effects Following Divorce 1 2 years post divorce o Sadness feelings of loss o Anxiety about who will take care of them when they will be with the other parent o Anger o Behavior problems o Problems with concentration and academic functioning Long term Effects Comparing young adults from intact and divorced families of origin o Lower psychological well being o Lower socioeconomic achievement o Poorer marital quality in own relationship o Higher chance of divorce o More likely to have poorer relationship with parents Post divorce Conflict Being asked to carry messages to the other parent Being asked intrusive questions about the other parent Put in position to hide information from the other parent Feeling need to hid loving feelings for other parent Wanting to be with other parent Fathers Relationships with Children Divorced fathers from high conflict marriages visit children less o Less regularly o Shorter visits Family Conflict Fights are more common in stepfamilies divorced families and extended families Family conflict harms children especially when adults fight about child rearing Although genes have some effect conflict itself is the main influence on the child s well being Best Predictor of Child Outcome Marital Conflict Prior to Divorce Marital conflict is a more important predictor of child adjustment than is divorce itself or postdivorce conflict Interparental Conflict and Children s Lives Conflict between parents is common and a normal part of a child s life Presence of children is associated with an increase in conflict and distress in a marriage Marital conflict and