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The article discusses the use of distributive teaching for student success and professor efficacy in family studies courses. The technique aims to improve learning through an equal distribution of evaluation/workload throughout a course and stimulate critical thinking about a variety of important family issues. Students will be provided opportunities to learn material in a timely fashion and maintain their focus on current teaching units.

This paper critically examines Louise Silverstein's and Carl Auerbach' s paper on Deconstructing the Essential Father. The paper provides research support for their position that children benefit from stable, consistent, loving, low-conflict parenting arrangements; irrespective of the gender of the parent. Silverstein and Auerbach, however, go beyond this conclusion to also recommend that children would benefit from being reconnected with their 'absent' fathers. The current paper challenges this particular conclusion to their critique and explores the apparently contradictory position that there is no essential need for fathers vet efforts should be made to proactively develop and support social and emotional connections between children and their fathers. The paper also examines other literature and research findings around the 'unique' contribution of social fathering in raising children, and concludes that there is no social, psychological, or developmental justification to legislate for father presence. There is no research-based credibility in promoting patriarchal, nuclear family formation as a preferred social and family structure to optimise children's emotional, social, physical, and economic outcomes. The political and social pretext that underlines 'hither absence fear' is just that; a pretext to retain the hegemony of patriarchal nuclear family life and restore fathers to their `rightful positions of power and control within families. In developing a conclusion to this critique, the paper draws on a briefcase-study from a lesbian-parented family research project conducted in Victoria, Australia, and illustrates implications for family therapists with a brief clinical vignette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the principal features of the family is the interdependence among its members and among relationships. This complexity challenges family researchers from a methodological point of view: they have to find and implement the most suitable research strategy to preserve the family's relational specificity. How do researchers handle this complexity? What research designs have been devised? What unit of analysis has been used? How many and which types of family relationships have been investigated? In order to answer these questions, we conducted a systematic review of recently published studies (2003-2013) on the family, and we analyzed two special issues on methodology. The results show that there is a general increase in interest on family topics and on methodological-relational issues. However, most of the studies adopt an individual perspective and do not take interdependence into account. Suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses women's strategies during the economic reforms with a focus on housing policies. It uses the housing issue to address the importance of identifying impacts on both women as individuals and as family members when evaluating development programs. A case study of a family in Cairo illustrates the issues involved. The paper then considers modifications for impact assessment of programs so that the concept of end user is broadened to include the woman and the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors claim that the recognition of interdependence as a guiding principle of child and family policy has the potential to transform legal systems to make them less punitive and more constructive, less judgmental towards individuals and more empathic to the protection of relationships and self-constructed identities. By embracing the notion of interdependence, our societies can be moved toward greater recognition of our common humanity to the great benefit of children and their families, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Four lenses are articulated in this paper Therapeutic jurisprudence, preventive law, family systems theory, and culture. The. paper shows how these lenses point toward mare supportive rather than punitive types of interventions in the lives of children and their families. The paper demonstrates that, despite the fact that questionable parental behavior may initially engender feelings of anger and aversion, an empathic public response-one that recognizes the reality of the interdependence between parents and children-not only comports with current enlightened interdisciplinary approaches, but also promotes child and family well-being. The authors suggest that such a response not only be contemplated and understood, but that it should also reframe child and family policies and practices. The family group conference model represents a tool for such reframing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews key sources in the field of family studies in order to identify, in research and program development, intersections of theoretical, methodological, or programmatic interests. The purpose of the paper is to begin a dialogue between researchers and practitioners in the fields of family studies and intergenerational studies to foster collaborative projects in research and programming. The authors have chosen to limit the literature reviewed to sources that contain landmark reviews of research on intergenerational relationships from the perspective of the family studies field: Decade reviews that appeared in the primary journal of the National Council on Family Relations, the Journal of Marriage and the Family (Broderick, 1971a; Berardo, 1980; Booth, 1990; Milardo, 2000); the Handbook of Marriage and the Family (Sussman & Steinmetz, 1987; Sussman, Steinmetz, & Peterson, 1999); Families: Intergenerational and Generational Connections (Pfeifer & Sussman, 1991). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Dwelling implies the establishment of a meaningful relationship between people and a given environment. Through physical spaces, people identify and orient themselves by symbolically expressing the meaning of social–cultural behavior. This paper examines the spatial meanings in the traditional Chinese family by analyzing the placement and arrangement of walls and courtyards. Specifically, this paper studies how physical space was defined and developed within the Chinese family by the spatial articulation of human relationships and the functions of daily life and how these spatial arrangements reinforced family hierarchies through purposeful separation and togetherness. The findings reveal that through binding together the family relationship and spatial concerns, Confucian discourses and practice were attached to the daily life of every Chinese. In addition, this study indicates that the primary concern in a Chinese house was not togetherness but separateness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to test the hypotheses that (1) similar to other positive pre- and post-natal outcomes, Mexican immigrant mothers are more likely to breastfeed, and to breastfeed longer, than white or Mexican-American mothers; and (2) acculturation accounts for the ethnic/nativity differential in breastfeeding initiation and duration. The results support both hypotheses. Mexican immigrants to the U.S. are much more likely than whites to breastfeed, and to breastfeed longer. Mexican-American mothers, after controlling for background characteristics, have similar initiation and duration to whites. Using expanded acculturation measures developed for this paper, acculturation accounts for some of the difference between whites and Mexican immigrants in breastfeeding initiation, and much of the difference for breastfeeding duration. The results suggest that low levels of acculturation operate to protect Mexican immigrants from choosing to formula-feed, which gives their babies many health advantages, and may be associated with better health outcomes across the life course. The results also suggest that successive generations of Mexican immigrants may abandon breastfeeding, which is deleterious for their infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family scholars have developed a greater sensitivity to the relative neglect of families of color in research. However, there are a number of limitations in the research on families of color; specifically, race and ethnicity are often confounded with socioeconomic indicators and community of residence. This makes it difficult to identify the true effects of ethnicity and culture. In addition, race and ethnicity may interact with chronic poverty in such a way as to further interfere with and reduce life opportunities. Here we discuss some of the theoretical and conceptual issues pertaining to race, ethnicity, and culture as they affect family functioning and children's development. In addition, we introduce a collection of papers that address family functioning and children's development among families who are diverse ethnically, racially, socioeconomically, and by geographical location and community. The issues posed in this paper and in the Special Section challenge the field to reconsider how we study families and child development from culturally grounded perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the effects of recent changes to Family Assistance tax credits on the partnering and employment outcomes for New Zealand women. We use a difference-in-differences approach to control for economic and other confounding factors. Specifically, we investigate differences in partnering, employment and work hours over time across groups who are and are not likely to be affected by these policy changes. We define groups based on education, wages, and presence of children. Subject to qualifications, we conclude that the Family Assistance expansion beginning in 2005 had little effect on partnering, but increased work hours for both partnered and unpartnered women. JEL Classification Codes: 138, J12, J21 Keywords: New Zealand, Difference-in-Differences, Welfare Programmes, Marriage, Labour Supply, I. Introduction Recently enacted changes in Family Assistance, by offering more generous benefits to families, are expected to reduce child poverty by one-third (MSD 2006). As side effects, the changes [...]

We thank Professor Parkinson for his response (Parkinson, 2013) to our paper published in the Journal of Family Studies (Lucas, Nicholson, & Erbas, 2013) and the opportunity to expand upon the position presented in our discussion. Parkinson argues that it was inappropriate for us to cite his report For Kids' Sake: Repairing the social environment for Australian children and young people (FKS) (Parkinson, 2011) as supporting claims that two biological parent households are superior environments for children to grow up in, and takes exception to our view that such a position is a 'simplistic view of the relationship between family structure and child outcomes' (Lucas et al., 2013). We acknowledge that the FKS report reviewed a considerable amount of contemporary family research that covered an array of viewpoints regarding the effects of living in a non-two-biological parent family on children. We also support the majority of recommendations made in the report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper confronts Georg Simmel's distinction between the dyad and the triad with the phenomenological analysis of analogous structures undertaken by E. Lévinas, B. Waldenfels, and J.-L. Marion. Simmel insists on keeping the dyad and the triad apart while only the triad is considered worthy of sociological research. On the contrary, phenomenologists reveal deep interrelation between the relationship with the other and the third party where the latter is actually co-present in the dyad. The presupposed link between the two and the three implies a different understanding of sociality that would respect its members in their uniqueness, unlike the world of interchangeable individualities common for social science. The third party can appear as the dimension of law and the ordinary (in Waldenfels), as the other of the other and the figure of humanity (in Lévinas), or as the child in the case of erotic relationship (in Marion). The last aspect of the third party provides a link to family studies. A brief outline of the situation illustrates oscillation between the triadic and dyadic interpretations of the family with the apparent prevalence of the dyad in recent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multigenerational households are increasingly affecting both the individual and family as well as community organizations and social policies. Social work and other family studies students can profit from educational modalities that use adult learning applications through a systems life-course perspective, the whole family aging over time. Family simulation software—addressing multigenerational families, such as two or more adult generations living together—builds on a previous paper (Marriage & Family Review,Feb. 2015). Social class, among other demographic and environmental variables, is emphasized. Agent-based family social network simulation of multigenerational families can facilitate experiential learning. An automatically generated life events report, based on both factual data and specific family characteristics, can be used as a classroom case study for role playing and assessing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In June 2009, the Commonwealth Attorney General in Australia announced a Family Relationship Centres/ Legal Assistance Partnerships Program, (the 'Better Partnerships' program). Its aim was to assist separated or separating families, 'by providing access to early and targeted legal information and advice when attending Family Relationship Centres' ( Mc Clelland, 2009). After contextualizing this significant shift in policy and practice, the present paper reports on largely positive key results of an evaluation of the program by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The paper concludes with reflections on future challenges and possibilities regarding ongoing collaboration between Australia's legal and family relationship sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While approaches to the analysis of multiple perspectives have been explored, the earlier stage of arranging fieldwork with multiple family members has received relatively little reflection within the literature. Drawing on data from a qualitative study exploring family communication about sex and sexuality, this paper examines parents' and children's accounts of how their families became involved in the research. A key finding notes how dynamics of parent-child communication about sex were played out through families' interactions concerning research participation. Particular focus is paid to the ways in which information about the study was mediated between parents and children and also individuals' differential agendas for participation. Evidence of the persuasive practices of some parents to engage their families in research underlines the importance of accessing all potential participants directly. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of sensitisation to interactions between family members themselves when engaging families in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various studies conducted over the past three decades have highlighted the social, political, and economic impact that women homesteaders had on the western prairie region. Their involvement on the family homestead, whether taking part in subsistence and domestic chores or as workers in the fields, was a necessary aspect of the development and success of family farming and an agriculture-based economy in Western Canada. This paper reveals details of another aspect of family labor that often fell on the shoulders of women, that is, the provision of medical care needed to ensure the health of themselves, their spouses, and their children. Given the labor-intensive nature of the frontier lifestyle, the associated physical hazards, the number of disease-susceptible children in the region, and the scarcity of medical institutions and personnel, women were often called upon by their families and neighbors to deal with outbreaks of disease, injuries, and health crises. Using survey data collected by the Saskatchewan Archives Board in 1955 to illustrate the nature of the work performed, this paper argues that women's health care labor efforts were vital to the preservation of homesteading families in the prairie region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper is the result of our interest in preventing adaptation problems (delinquency, academic failure and absenteeism at school, drug use, etc.) in young children and adolescents at risk, as well as the need to develop effective programmes adapted to the population in the Balearic Islands (Spain). Purpose: The objective of this paper was to describe the characteristics and outcomes obtained in the Family Competence Programme (FCP), which is an adaptation of the Strengthening Families Programme (SFP) for the population of the Balearic Islands (Spain). Programme description: Like the SFP, the FCP is a multi-component programme that aims to reduce the influence of risk factors associated with alcohol and drug use while increasing children's resilience by reinforcing the main protective factors. The programme combines training in parenting skills, work with the entire family and children's social skills during 14 weekly sessions. The sessions were led by group leaders with long-standing experience in handling groups and working with populations undergoing treatment and who were also trained specifically to apply the programme. Sample: Two applications of the programme were implemented. The final sample was made up of 58 adult men and women (28 in experimental groups and 30 in control groups) who attended treatment or their partners; their average age was 39. A total of 35 children who were 10.6 years of age on average took part in the programme (19 in experimental groups and 16 in control groups). There were 31 families in all (15 in experimental groups and 16 in control groups). All the participants in the experimental groups live in Mallorca (Spain), while the control groups lived in other cities in Spain. Design and methods: We used a quasi-experimental design with an unmatched control group and pre- and post-treatment measures. The subjects were not randomly assigned to the experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups. The first application took place between 28 January 2005 and 13 May 2005. The second application began on 7 October 2005 and concluded on 27 January 2006. We used participant self-reports together with information supplied by the children's teachers. The instruments included those employed in the SFP and others that had been validated for the Spanish population. The ANOVA, t-test and Cohen's d were used to analyse the data obtained. In addition, we recorded the programme attendance. Results: Percentages for programme attendance were very high and remained high during all 14 sessions. Family relationships, parental education skills, children's behavior and their social skills all improved. Conclusions: Our study indicates that the FCP and its capacity to achieve its objectives are effective, although further research with a larger sample is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Culture, Health & Sexuality is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper draws on findings from a study of outcomes for young people leaving care funded by the Department for Education and Skills. It explores the informal support networks available to a sample of 106 young people over a period of 12-15 months after leaving care. It examines patterns of contact with birth families and caregivers, the support that emanated from these links and the strategies of leaving care professionals to strengthen these connections. It also considers the new families created by many young people through relationships with partners and the onset of parenthood and discusses the continuing support needs of young parents. The paper situates the needs and experiences of care leavers in a wider youth transitions framework and highlights the need for continuing professional attention to be given to strengthening family links as one strategy for helping care leavers to negotiate the transition to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research, constituting secondary data analysis of a current Economic and Social Research Council funded programme of research with parents with disabled children in two areas in Northern England, responds to policy and practice prescriptions for family support services to be responsive and inclusive to a diversity of parenting situations (Department for Education and Skills, 2003; Social Services Inspectorate, 2004). An innovative research methodology, involving the collaborative analysis of a social work researcher and disability studies researcher, was used to gain a more holistic understanding of the issues in working with social work populations by investigating the concerns of a normative population. Findings identified a number of barriers to inclusion even for mainstream disabled families, particularly in the area of parent-social worker communication. The paper provides an initial contribution to current social work concerns of the need to improve the theoretical underpinning of 'specialist social work communication skills' for different practice settings (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2004) by identifying communication issues and skills for work with parents of disabled children. Moreover, as secondary analysis of qualitative data is rarely reported, the paper provides a useful commentary on this type of research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we talk about creating coherence and transparency in the relationships between teacher, model of adult learning and subject taught. We describe how we have made connections between adult learning theory and family therapy to generate resources for action in teaching on the qualifying level course at Northumbria University. Using a recent teaching session and the voices of trainees, we illustrate these connections with an example of teaching about relational reflexivity, using methods which enabled us to generate reflexive ‘flow’ in the learning context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As newcomers on college campuses, family policy courses have the potential to benefit policymaking, fill a void in undergraduate and graduate education, strengthen families, and prepare students for lifelong political engagement during a pivotal period in their development. Yet, family policy has proven a challenging course to teach. Family policy is an esoteric concept, which makes courses difficult to distinguish from other policy courses. The content of a family policy course is fluid and inherently value laden. This paper proposes course content and teaching techniques to transform these challenges into learning opportunities. The author discusses similarities and differences in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and recommends cross-university dialogue and resource exchange to improve the teaching of family policy in college classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the personal, professional, interpersonal, social, and academic development of students who complete a 15-hour service-learning assignment as part of the requirements for a family diversity course. A content analysis of 36 students' reflection papers revealed that service-learning was extremely beneficial, even when the experience was brief. Numerous valuable lessons were learned by the students about themselves and their future careers. Specifically, they became more accepting of others, and they realized the importance of service to one's community. In addition, they were able to process and synthesize the information they learned in the classroom by experiencing the course content in a real-world setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Community, Work & Family is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Incorporating experiential, community-based assignments into the family studies and gerontological classroom curriculum prepares graduates for the workplace and active, responsible citizenship. The ongoing challenge, however, is to create appropriate, effective means of integrating classroom and community while maintaining pedagogical and civic integrity. This paper explores ways in which classroom and community have been paired in the family studies and gerontology curricula, including service-learning, internships, site visits, guest speakers, advocacy opportunities, and policy analyses. Illustrations from family studies and gerontology programs at two institutions are presented with the goals of offering an understanding of a range of community integration options and providing readers with techniques and tools to facilitate these various options. Additionally, some of the broader implications of connecting classroom and community for students in family studies and gerontology are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper offers perspectives on teaching an undergraduate family diversity course. These perspectives include the preparation of the teacher, not only as a scholar, but as a fallible human and as a person who is challenged to live a life in which diversity is central. Fundamental to teaching about family diversity is to teach students how to take the perspective of "the other" and how to understand the systemic context in which diverse families have functioned in the past and now function. Teaching about family diversity benefits from a scholarly literature on "whiteness" which focuses on the ways that white people may tune out, ignore, or deny both their own unearned skin privilege and the ways that they benefit from and rely on a system of inequality in which people of color are disadvantaged. Teaching about family diversity requires a pedagogy in which many voices speak. Included in that pedagogy are teaching methods that create many opportunities for students to express and develop their own perspectives, cross-cultural comparison, an instructor who works at knowing all students as individuals, and the use of readings and videos that voice the realities of diverse people. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although there are bibliometric studies of journals in various fields, the field of family studies remains unexplored. Using the bibliometric metrics of the two-year and five-year Journal Impact Factors, the H-index, and the newly revised CiteScore, this paper examines the relationships among these metrics in a bibliometric study of forty-four representative family studies journals. The citation data were drawn from Journal Citation Reports, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The correlation analysis found strong positive relationships on the metrics. Despite the strong correlations, discrepancies in rank orders of the journals were found. A possible explanation of noticeable discrepancy in rankings was provided, and the implications of the study for stakeholders were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's education has become an important part of urban family consumption, and the rapid expansion of private tutoring schools and supplemental lessons has constituted a big part of the children's education market. Taking the perspective of family studies and using China Education Panel Survey (2013–2014) data, this paper explores the relationship between family structure, parenthood, and the consumption of children's education. This research shows that family investment in children's education exhibits dual characteristics of instrumental rationality and emotional expression; children from one-child families, living with both parents and receiving more attention and affection from their parents, have more educational opportunities outside of school; girls receive more advantage over boys. Meanwhile, social class differences in the consumption of children's education are significant. Middle-class families have greater education expectation and will invest more in children's education, displaying a significantly stratified preference in supplemental lessons. These findings illustrate the need to take a new look at family studies and consumption research regarding the issue of child education consumption in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the effects of inter-generational transmission of resources and of the pooling of resources within families on the transition into first-time home-ownership of couples, using detailed life-course data from the 1992/3 Netherlands Family Survey. Strong relationships are found between the socioeconomic characteristics and wealth - particularly self-employment and home-ownership - of the parents of both members of the couple and home-ownership of the couple. Parents who are self-employed or own a home have more opportunities than parents who rent their home to help their children financially and they do, in fact, provide help substantially more often. Socialization towards home-ownership arguably also plays a role. The results further show that the cumulation of home-ownership within families is increased by assortative mating. If the parents of one of the members of the couple own a house, or offer help, the probability that the other partner's parents also own a house or offer help increases. With regard to the partners' own characteristics, the current work status, self-employment, and education of the man are more important than those of the woman, but the socioeconomic status of the woman is found to be almost as important as that of the man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The haemorrhagic diathesis in von Willebrand disease (vWD) is caused by a quantitative deficiency or a qualitative defect in the von Willebrand factor (vWF) in plasma and/or platelets causing insufficient primary haemostasis. Since vWF binds and protects factor VIII (FVIII) towards random proteolysis, coagulation may also be impaired in patients with a low plasma level of vWF, and in instances where vWF displays insufficient binding capacity to FVIII. The entity of vWD displays a vast heterogeneity. Apart from rarely occurring acquired cases, vWD is an inherited disorder of autosomal linkage. The major clinical hallmark in vWD is an increased tendency to mucocutaneous bleeding that rarely reach life-threatening proportions, unless vWF is severely reduced or completely absent. Increased bleeding may also occur in sites such as muscles and joints when the level of FVIII is particularly low. Significant progress has recently been achieved through extensive molecular genetic exploration of various forms of vWD. In order to guide treatment and to form a platform for genetic investigation, however, accuracy in diagnosis and phenotypic characterization is important. By means of various laboratory methods, major subclasses of vWD can be differentiated, as presented in another article of this series. Whereas most of the cases of vWD can quite easily be diagnosed and classified using today’s diagnostic methods, the most frequently occurring bleeding disorder of all, vWd type 1 of mild degree, continues to challenge clinicians and diagnostic laboratories. The aim of this paper is to review the laboratory methods most commonly used in diagnostic investigation of the patient suspected of vWD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides the first report of an intensive empirical study of social relations of unemployment on a Glasgow housing estate. Its sample is divided into two equal, age-based categories corresponding to families where the male 'head of household' is over 25 and has a previous record of regular work, and those under 25 where such experience is absent. The paper identifies and examines a domestic and work-linked cycle which has been disrupted by unemployment. On this basis we then consider the differential adaptation to unemployment of the two groups; differences in their gender relations and differences in the forms and degrees of their reliance on kin and other support. We finally and tentatively propose some connections between unemployment and domestic conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests that most, if not all, prior research findings concerning a nonlinear relationship between marital satisfaction and stages of the family life cycle may be based on statistical artifacts arising from inadequate protection against type I errors. It then provides guidelines for avoiding such errors and demonstrates how these affect interpretations of data in a recent study. Because of the very weak relationships that are typically found in such studies, it is suggested that the family lifecycle model is not a viable conceptual tool for the explanation of a large number of quality of life indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the different aspects of change in familial culture. It looks at how family relationships remain of great consequence in contemporary Britain, notwithstanding the changes there have been. It also discusses the conceptual differences between household and family, specifically distinguishing the dynamics of household demography from the family as a solidaristic network of members, some of whom at times live in the same household. Moreover, it discusses some influential theories of family change which suggest that the growth of individualism undermines family solidarity.

The application of marketing is no longer confined to private business, but is becoming increasingly popular in the social services area. The application of marketing principles to the marriage and family therapy field is also promising. Yet many therapists are hesitant or resistant to a marketing approach because of the misconceptions that abound about marketing. This paper describes what marketing is and is not, and applies a marketing perspective to relevant issues within the marriage and family therapy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a brief review of the major approaches and findings of past research on children of divorce and presents some questions for future research. Many earlier studies of divorce and children are to be found within the research tradition of studies of single parent families. The bulk of these studies, many of which were done in the 1950's and 1960's, focused on demonstrating causal relationships between a child's living in a single parent household and the child becoming delinquent, failing in school, developing inappropriate sex role attitudes and behaviors, or exhibiting other types of pathology. Such studies have typically conceptualized the single parent family as a deviation from the traditional two parent family. These families were not viewed as a family form to be studied on its own terms. Rather they were seen as an aberrant or deviant form of the normal family. The views that single parent families are deviant forms, that they are homogeneous, and that they invariably cause dysfunctioning in children have led to biases and problems in the choice of samples, designs, instruments, and procedures.

The main purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction through meta-analysis method. A total of 6163 studies were identified as a result of the literature scanning and accordingly examined on the basis of their titles and abstracts. Ultimately, results of 19 studies were included to analysis. The findings obtained from analyses were examined and it was determined that there is a significant difference in all subgroups regarding the relationship between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction. Output of REM analysis showed that the pooled effect size of the relationship between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction is moderate (0.46). Considering the screening process within the scope of this study, it can be concluded that there are too many poor reporting practices regarding the studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadly, this article details the imbrication of a Black feminist qualitative researcher's onto-epistemology and data (meta-) analysis process. I theorize Black feminist memory work, then apply this method by returning to data I collected for a completed research project and meshing those data with a curated selection of thematically connected family photographs. By revisiting and reviewing textual and visual data, I demonstrate the function of Black feminist memory work as a visual research method with which to not only describe, analyze, and interpret evocative photographs, but also excavate and make meaning of the sometimes repressed and oftentimes emotion-laden episodic and autobiographical memories that inevitably surface when conducting qualitative research. I conclude by underscoring how this tool creates opportunities for qualitative researchers to address the ontological concerns that connect qualitative inquiry to Black feminists' humanistic hopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "childless" is highly problematic. Attempts to split it into "voluntary" and "involuntary" may appear to give more detail on context, but the differentiation can be misleading. The condition of "-less" has negative connotations and implies "missing" something; possibly something which is "natural." The term "childfree" has been employed as an alternative expression which denotes active choice, freedom, and emancipation. Few studies, however, have explored how individuals refer to themselves, or how they interpret—or even care—about these distinctions. Such existing studies only explore the use of these English expressions among speakers of English as their primary language. This exploratory qualitative study explores how women without children define themselves in their native language in an Asian setting—Cantonese in Hong Kong. It also explores how such women interpret the various terms developed in English to describe their circumstances. Respondents refer to themselves in neutral, factual terms—literally "without children." Others make an explicit link between being unmarried and childless status. While respondents find the English expression of "childfree" positive, they do not express a strong need to either deploy it in English, nor "develop" a Cantonese equivalent. The study provides further evidence that "labels" generated and applied by academics in one context and in one language may not be universally applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Australian postgraduate students experience different barriers from those encountered by non-Indigenous students. In the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study, Indigenous students are more likely to come from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, have lower personal incomes and lack family and other networks supportive of engagement with tertiary, and especially postgraduate, study. While there is a growing literature on Indigenous participation in higher education, with the exception of a few notable examples, there is little known about the effectiveness of support mechanisms and issues for Indigenous students undertaking postgraduate study. Drawing on interviews with current and past Indigenous postgraduate students at The University of Queensland, this paper problematises the postgraduate experience for Indigenous Australian students, identifying common themes in their accounts. It also discusses one of the outcomes of the project along with planned future developments that aim to provide better support for Indigenous Australian postgraduate students at The University of Queensland. By knowing and acting upon the kinds of mechanisms that can assist Indigenous postgraduate students, the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous student participation in postgraduate study can begin to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an exploratory study with low income young people that sought to explore the discourses on which they drew their understandings about health and whether family structure mediated individual agency. Based on an interpretive perspective, the voices of three participants were selected from an inner city secondary school. Drawn from a larger study, participants were interviewed in pairs and asked to elaborate on their understanding and experience of health, fitness and physical activity. The analytical framework was influenced by the work of Bourdieu, recognising the importance of structure and agency. This study suggests that young people were implicated in the reproduction of a healthism discourse, while family was recognised as a social “field” that shaped their dispositions toward health-related practices. However their ability to enact health dispositions and maintain a healthy lifestyle was constrained by their family structure and the structural social conditions of their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family-based interventions have been dramatically advocated in early childhood educational field, especially for those young children who have special needs. The application of family-based interventions has had a profound influence in the western societies over many years. However, due to a lack of theory basis, the knowledge of how to apply it to help many children with special needs in China, particularly, in Yangtze River Delta Region, is slim. This paper is to explore how family-based early interventions will support the children who have exhibited social-emotional problems and their families in the social context of the Yangtze River Delta Region, China. Thus, the author will address the question by looking into (1) the social context in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China; (2) factors contribute to children's social and emotional problems from the family systems perspective; (3) two families as case studies, and (4) the family-based early interventions designed for the two families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family studies is a developing field in Southeast Asia. Scholars attempt to touch on family relations as they cover issues on national identity, state policies, gender division of labor, migration, agriculture, and modernization. It is important to give particular focus on the farming families in the region because, of all types of families, they are the ones who face and adapt to most changes in political, economic, cultural, and social terms. By reviewing literatures done in relation to farming families in Malaysia and the Philippines, this paper argues for the importance of (1) acknowledging the convergence in the definition and usage of the terms "family" and "kinship" in studying different forms of families, (2) exploring contemporary sociocultural perceptions on the family farm, and (3) ensuring that scholarly works go beyond focusing on development approaches and wife-husband dyad relations. Towards the conclusion, this work highlights the possibility of exploring Geertz and Ellen's ecological approach in studying the role of the land in the strengthening or weakening of family relations. It also recommends Agarwal's bargaining approach be extended to Southeast Asia and that siblingship and generational positionalities be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bowen Family Systems Theory is most commonly used to understand and predict family process. It is also applied to other potentially intense relationship systems, especially the workplace. It has been used by workplace consultants and by individuals to understand, and to manage, their own workplace functioning. This paper will draw from several key Bowen concepts to analyse common workplace dilemmas and to suggest responses that may assist the functioning of the individual and the system. The author's own experience as a manager in a child and adolescent mental health programme will be used as the case study to illustrate the theory's application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Division of labor in wedding planning varies for first-time marriages, with three types of couples—traditional, transitional, and egalitarian—identified, but nothing is known about wedding planning for remarrying individuals. Using semistructured interviews, the author interviewed 14 couples in which at least one person had remarried and used directed content analysis to investigate the extent to which the aforementioned typology could be transferred to this different context. In this paper she describes how a triangulation of analytic techniques provided validation for couple classifications and also helped with moving beyond "blind spots" in data analysis. Analytic approaches were the constant comparative technique, rank order comparison, and visual representation of coding, using MAXQDA 2007's tool called TextPortraits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people are adversely affected by negative family experiences, but there is a gap in knowledge when the commonly co-existing issues of parental alcohol misuse and parental domestic abuse are considered. Research which talks directly to the young people living in such circumstances is therefore needed. As part of a Europe-wide research study, eight young people aged 12-18 years from five families in England were interviewed about their experiences of living with parental alcohol misuse and violence. Strong links emerged between parental drinking and domestic abuse, with verbal aggression common, and frequent and physical violence less frequent, but of equal concern. The young people had tried and were trying a range of strategies to try and cope with their home environments, and faced an ongoing battle in working out what to do for the best. Support from family, friends, and professionals was discussed, but the young people generally had mixed views about what help they had received and the support that they would have liked. The paper discusses what the findings might mean in terms of the practice and policy response to children living in risky family environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies by economists have focused on cultural transmission from the origin country rather than the origin family. Our paper extends this research by investigating how family-specific‘cultural transmission’ can affect fertility rates. Following Machado and Santos Silva [ Journal of the American Statistical Association (2005) Vol. 100, p. 1226] and Miranda [ Journal of Population Economics (2008) Vol. 21, p. 67], we estimate count data quantile regression models using the British Household Panel Survey. We find that a woman's origin-family size is positively associated with completed fertility in her destination family. A woman's country of birth also matters for her fertility. For a sub-sample of continuously partnered men and women, both partners’ origin-family sizes significantly affect destination-family fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining data collected from different sources is a cost-effective and time-efficient approach for enhancing the statistical efficiency in estimating weak-to-modest genetic effects or gene-gene or gene-environment interactions. However, combining data across studies becomes complicated when data are collected under different study designs, such as family-based and unrelated individual-based (e.g., population-based case-control design). In this paper, we describe a general method that permits the joint estimation of effects on disease risk of genes, environmental factors, and gene-gene/gene-environment interactions under a hybrid design that includes cases, parents of cases, and unrelated individuals. We provide both asymptotic theory and statistical inference. Extensive simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed estimation and inferential methods perform well in realistic settings. We illustrate the method by an application to a study of testicular cancer. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the authors' ideas about parenting adult children, describes some of the results of a larger qualitative research study and explores possible implications for practice. The study is based on in-depth analyses of narratives from interviews of a non-clinical population of parents of adult children. It represents part of an ongoing study to develop an understanding of an under-researched area of family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]