FamilyMonday, October 26, 20151:05 PM FamilyHow does a family form and meet the needs of the child?-What do families provide children?oBasic material necessities, food, shelter, safetyoEncourage learningoHelp development of self-respectoHelps with personal development (sports)oHelps with emotional developmentoNurture friendshipsoFoster harmony and stability Family Structure-Relationships among relatives living in the same home with the childoWho 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:oMother not marrying or cohabitating when bornoAnd/or to parents separating/divorcingoOr parental death-Challenges of single parentingoOn average, structure functions less well than more than one parent/adult in homeoLower incomeoLess stability-More moves-More new adultsoStress from multiple rolesoChildren 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 childrenoTwo-parent home-Allows families to be wealthier-Better educated-Healthier-More flexible-Less hostile-Happy nuclear family - high risk for marital distressoMost couples become distressed by the sixth year of marriageoHalf of the marriages end within the first seven years Other Two-Parent Families-Divorced familiesoStepparent 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 familiesoAdoptive 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 familiesoSame-sex couple families-Generally children develop well-Limited long term studies Diversity of Family Structures-Extended familyoConsists of parents, their children, other relatives living in one householdoIncludes one in six US familiesoParticularly common when children are smalloLess costly and more common in low-income households-Polygamous familyoConsists of one man, several wives, and the biological children of the man and his wivesoRare and illegal in US-Structure of family can change across childhood Family Structure-Don't need to memorizeCulture and Family Structure-Cultural context always matters and varies in support in relation to how the family is structuredoSingle parenthoodoCohabiting - living together, not married-Not safe-Not stableoUS 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 lifeoHarmonyoParental allianceoMarital conflictoStabilityoLow income Low Income-Poverty - family-stress modeloAdults stressful reaction to poverty is crucial in determining the effect on the childrenoEffects 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 oftencontinues 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 structureoSingle parent familiesoStep-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 conflictWhat is the Impact of Divorce?-On average, divorce impacts children's academic achievement and psychosocial development foryears, even decadesoResearch evidence mostly see impact the first two years post-divorceoAdjustment further depends on many factorsAge 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 familiesoMore behavioral problems (aggressiveness, impulsiveness, antisocial, conduct problems)oMore relationship difficultiesoPoorer psychological adjustmentoLower academic achievement Short-term Effects Following Divorce-1-2 years post-divorceoSadness, feelings of lossoAnxiety (about who will take care of them, when they will be with the other parent)oAngeroBehavior problemsoProblems with concentration and academic functioning Long-term Effects-Comparing young adults from intact and divorced families of originoLower psychological well-beingoLower socioeconomic achievementoPoorer marital quality in own relationshipoHigher chance of divorceoMore 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 lessoLess regularlyoShorter 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-beingBest Predictor of Child OutcomeMarital Conflict (Prior to Divorce)-Marital conflict is a more important predictor of child adjustment than is divorce itself or post-divorce 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 discord increases during infancy and early childhood and peaks between