Major perspectives concerning stress are presented with the goal of clarifying the nature of what has proved to be a heuristic but vague construct. Current conceptualizations of stress are challenged as being too phenomenological and ambiguous, and consequently, not given to direct empirical testing. Indeed, it is argued that researchers have tended to avoid the problem of defining stress, choosing to study stress without reference to a clear framework. A new stress model called the model of conservation of resources is presented as an alternative. This resource-oriented model is based on the supposition that people strive to retain, project, and build resources and that what is threatening to them is the potential or actual loss of these valued resources. Implications of the model of conservation of resources for new research directions are discussed.

Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress.

A meta-analysis of 172 studies attempted to resolve the conflict between previous narrative reviews on whether parents make systematic differences in their rearing of boys and girls. Most effect sizes were found to be nonsignificant and small. In North American studies, the only socialization area o

Parents' differential socialization of boys and girls: A meta-analysis.

This article presents an overview of a family resilience framework developed for clinical practice, and describes its advantages. Drawing together findings from studies of individual resilience and research on effective family functioning, key processes in family resilience are outlined in three domains: family belief systems, organizational patterns, and communication/problem-solving. Clinical practice applications are described briefly to suggest the broad utility of this conceptual framework for intervention and prevention efforts to strengthen families facing serious life challenges.

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Family Resilience: A Framework for Clinical Practice

The concept of resilience, the ability to withstand and rebound from crisis and adversity, has valuable potential for research, intervention, and prevention approaches aiming to strengthen couples and families. Resilience has been viewed as residing within the individual, with the family often dismissed as dysfunctional. This article advances a systemic view of resilience in ecological and developmental contexts and presents the concept of family resilience, attending to interactional processes over time that strengthen both individual and family hardiness. Extending our understanding of normal family functioning, the concept of family resilience offers a useful framework to identify and fortify key processes that enable families to surmount crises and persistent stresses. There are many pathways in relational resilience, varying to fit diverse family forms, psychosocial challenges, resources, and constraints. Shared beliefs and narratives that foster a sense of coherence, collaboration, competence, and confidence are vital in coping and mastery. Interventions to strengthen family resilience have timely relevance for weathering the rapid social changes and uncertainties facing families today.

The concept of family resilience: crisis and challenge.

An overview of a research-informed family resilience framework, developed as a conceptual map to guide clinical intervention and prevention efforts with vulnerable families is presented. Building on studies of individual and family resilience and developments in strength-based approaches to family therapy, this practice approach is distinguished by its focus on strengthening family functioning in the context of adversity. Key processes that foster resilience are outlined, as are several innovative family systems training and service applications.

A Family Resilience Framework: Innovative Practice Applications

Secrets of strong families

Parent Child Relationships: A Decade Review of Research.

This study investigates the perceptions of older husbands and wives concerning their marriages and their present period of life. The results of the study indicated that the respondents tended to perceive their marriage relationships favorably and as improving and increasing in satisfaction with the later stages of married life. The present was reported to be the happiest period of both marriage and of life in general by most of the respondents.

Nick Stinnett

Papers

Secrets of strong families

Parent Child Relationships: A Decade Review of Research.

Older Persons' Perceptions of Their Marriages

Relationships in Marriage and the Family

Building family strengths : blueprints for action