Showing papers in "Journal of Family Theory and Review in 2015"
224 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a meta-analysis examined the association between being raised in a physically violent home and becoming an adult victim or perpetrator of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) and explored the effects of sex of child victim and sex of parent perpetrator.
Abstract: This meta-analysis examined the association between being raised in a physically violent home and becoming an adult victim or perpetrator of physical intimate partner violence (IPV). We also explored the effects of sex of child victim and sex of parent perpetrator. In total, 124 studies, which reported 288 effect sizes measuring the association between witnessing interparental violence and/or experiencing child abuse and adult IPV, were included. Results revealed small effect sizes, with stronger effect sizes for perpetration than for victimization. The relationship between experiencing family-of-origin violence and subsequent IPV perpetration was significantly stronger for males than for females. The relationship between experiencing family-of-origin violence and subsequent IPV victimization was significantly stronger for females than for males.
115 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the evolution of scientific theory using the example of the relational developmental systems (RDS) metamodel, a conception emphasizing mutually influential relations between individuals and contexts.
Abstract: We discuss the evolution of scientific theory using the example of the relational developmental systems (RDS) metamodel, a conception emphasizing mutually influential relations between individuals and contexts. An important basis for RDS ideas in contemporary developmental science is Lerner and Spanier's (1978) discussion of mutually influential relationships between children and families. In the context of recounting the role of one of the present authors (RML) in the evolution of the RDS metamodel, we compare the Lerner and Spanier discussion with RDS-based ideas. We present the implications of RDS ideas for contemporary research and applications aimed at understanding and enhancing children, families, and the systemic relationships among them.
64 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe how autoethnography, a research method that uses and foregrounds personal experience, can be used as a method for studying families, and provide criteria for evaluating auto-ethnographic methods, including risks and limitations.
Abstract: This article describes how autoethnography, a research method that uses—and even foregrounds—personal experience, can be used as a method for studying families. We first define autoethnography, describe orientations to autoethnographic research, and review research that has used autoethnography as a method for studying families. Although autoethnography has numerous strengths, four qualities make it especially suitable for doing family research. We describe how autoethnography can allow researchers to offer insider accounts of families; study everyday, unexpected experiences of families, especially as they face unique or difficult situations; write against limited extant research about families; and make research more accessible to nonacademic audiences. We conclude by offering criteria for evaluating autoethnography, including risks and limitations of the method.
53 citations
TL;DR: Although social learning theory provides the conceptual basis for behavioral interventions designed to treat and prevent relationship distress, the results of large, recently published experiments cast doubt on the long-term viability of this approach as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Although social learning theory provides the conceptual basis for behavioral interventions designed to treat and prevent relationship distress, the results of large, recently published experiments cast doubt on the long-term viability of this approach. For example, couple therapies can produce lasting improvements in relationships, yet these improvements do not appear to be mediated by changes in communication in the manner suggested by social learning theory. Preventive interventions that teach couples communication skills produce inconsistent effects on communication and unexpectedly small effects on relationship outcomes. Because social learning theory may not provide the strongest foundation for relationship-sustaining interventions, new approaches are needed, especially those that articulate how diverse contexts and life circumstances constrain couples' opportunities for closeness and stability.
49 citations
TL;DR: A review of the research on single fathers and their families from the 1970s until recently, focusing on modifications in methodology and theoretical underpinnings, is presented in this paper.
Abstract: The number of children residing in single-father families in the United States quadrupled as a proportion of children's living arrangements during the past few decades of the 20th century. Research on single fathers also increased and changed in nature. This article is a review of the research on single fathers and their families from the 1970s until recently, focusing on modifications in methodology and theoretical underpinnings. In general, research on single-father families evolved from qualitative studies focused on the well-being of single fathers to quantitative studies focusing on child outcomes and within-group variation among single fathers. Research also moved from descriptive studies to those testing gender and microstructural theories. This article also summarizes the main findings on single fathers and concludes with directions for future research.
47 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors catalog normative orientations that have been proposed to account for consistent patterns of action and call on researchers to conduct tests of normative theories and the processes such theories assert.
Abstract: Social norms are often cited as the cause of many social phenomena, especially as an explanation for prosocial family and relationship behaviors. And yet maybe we love the idea of social norms too much, as suggested by our failure to subject them to rigorous test. Compared to the detail in social norms theoretical orientations, there is very little detail in tests of normative theories. To provide guidance to researchers who invoke social norms as explanations, we catalog normative orientations that have been proposed to account for consistent patterns of action. We call on researchers to conduct tests of normative theories and the processes such theories assert.
44 citations
42 citations
TL;DR: A cross-cultural review of research on relations among HOME, family context, and child outcomes is presented and a plan is offered for how best to furtherResearch on relations between the home environment and child development for diverse populations is offered.
Abstract: Measures of the home environment are frequently used in studies of children's development. This review provides information on indices composed of causal and formative indicators (the kind of indicators often used to capture salient aspects of family environments) and to suggest approaches that may be useful in constructing such measures for diverse populations. The HOME Inventory is used to illustrate challenges scholars face in determining what to include in useful measures of family settings. To that end, a cross-cultural review of research on relations among HOME, family context, and child outcomes is presented. The end of the review offers a plan for how best to further research on relations between the home environment and child development for diverse populations.
40 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual and statistical overview of construct equivalence as well as a rationale for its increased use is provided, and an example of testing for equivalence is also provided.
Abstract: The construct is the most basic aspect of a theoretical model. Whether a construct is equivalent across groups or time is a vital consideration when testing theory. However, examining construct equivalence is often not well understood either conceptually or statistically. This article provides a conceptual and statistical overview of construct equivalence as well as a rationale for its increased use. An example of testing for equivalence is also provided. Three hundred 12-year-olds rated their mother and father on a scale of parental engagement. It was examined whether this scale demonstrated equivalence for both mothers and fathers. Equivalence tests found that strong equivalence was not met, and therefore mean comparisons are not justified. Theoretical and practical implications of measurement equivalence are discussed.
38 citations
TL;DR: An innovative methodology is presented-referred to as activity spaces-emerging in neighborhood-effects research, and it is discussed how this approach can be used to better understand the complexity and heterogeneity of families.
Abstract: Neighborhood is an important context in which individuals and families are embedded. Yet family studies researchers have been relatively slow to incorporate spatial approaches into family science. Although limited theoretical and methodological attention has been devoted to families in neighborhood-effects research, family scholars can contribute greatly to theories about neighborhood effects, and neighborhood-effects research can help move the field of family studies forward. This article reviews the theories, applications, and limitations of research on neighborhood effects and discusses how family studies can benefit from incorporating a spatial perspective from neighborhood-effects research. I then present an innovative methodology-referred to as activity spaces-emerging in neighborhood-effects research, and I discuss how this approach can be used to better understand the complexity and heterogeneity of families. Last, I highlight ways to incorporate space into family studies by "putting families into place."
TL;DR: In this paper, a review synthesizes current person-centered research investigating social and economic risk factors during the prenatal and early childhood periods, and summarizes how personcentered approaches have advanced the understanding of early family risk and later child adaptive functioning.
Abstract: Research consistently indicates that exposure to early family adversity is associated with compromised development in early childhood. Consequently, researchers, direct service workers, and policy makers have sought to understand and alleviate the multidimensional stressors faced by families during the prenatal and early childhood periods. Person-centered approaches are one method of understanding the interplay of risk factors. The present review synthesizes current person-centered research investigating social and economic risk factors during the prenatal and early childhood periods, and summarizes how person-centered approaches have advanced the understanding of early family risk and later child adaptive functioning. Results are discussed in the context of the family during early childhood development, with a discussion of clinical and prevention-based implications.
TL;DR: The authors examines the intersection of Martin Buber's philosophy with the interpretive tradition in social science research and presents an overview of the relational constructs I-It and I-Thou and his philosophy of dialogue.
Abstract: Martin Buber is well-known for his seminal book I and Thou and his philosophy of dialogue. Although he is often characterized as an existentialist, Buber referred to himself as a philosophical anthropologist, given his study of the wholeness and uniqueness of human being. Buber viewed human existence as grounded in relationships. However, in spite of his view of human being as fundamentally relational, his ideas have received relatively little attention in family theory and research. As part of the special issue on qualitative family scholarship and innovative theories in the interpretive tradition, this article first examines the intersection of Buber's philosophy with the interpretive tradition in social science research. It then presents an overview of Buber's relational constructs I–It and I–Thou and his philosophy of dialogue. Finally, the implications of Buber's ideas for the process of qualitative family research, particularly qualitative interviewing, are discussed, followed by a presentation of several potential qualitative studies that draw on Buber's theoretical framework of dialogue and way of being.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the "feelings of fraudulence" that feminist family scholars often encounter in their work and propose that such feelings arise from attempting to apply abstract feminist principles to specific research practices against the backdrop of social science's positivism, women's studies postmodernism(s), and an overlay of neoliberalism and postfeminism.
Abstract: In this article we name “feelings of fraudulence,” the experience of self-awareness and self-questioning that feminist family scholars often encounter in their work. We propose that such feelings arise from attempting to apply abstract feminist principles to specific research practices against the backdrop of social science's positivism, women's studies postmodernism(s), and an overlay of neoliberalism and postfeminism. These feelings of fraudulence should not be dismissed but should be embraced to promote what we theorize as feminist accountability. Using our research projects as sites of analysis, we share dilemmas of accountability in regard to feminist epistemology, agenda, and ethics within the contemporary context. We continue the conversation about feminist-informed methodological practices and hope to offer other feminist family scholars comfort in responding to the uncertainty they encounter in their own feminist research journeys.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors summarized current theory and research related to apologies in close relationships and found that the transgressor's ability to adopt a self-focus or self-other focus when apologizing was associated with positive relationship outcomes.
Abstract: This article summarizes current theory and research related to apologies in close relationships. Eight studies examined predictors of the occurrence and effectiveness of apologies, and 7 studies investigated outcomes associated with apologies. Two studies investigated predictors and associated outcomes of apologies. Findings indicated that characteristics of the victim (e.g., willingness to empathize), characteristics of the transgressor (e.g., gender, personality), and specific contextual factors (e.g., relational closeness) influence the occurrence and effectiveness of an apology. Several factors, including the transgressor's ability to adopt a self-focus or self-other focus when apologizing, were associated with positive relationship outcomes. The review highlights a lack of consensus in apology conceptualization and the need for additional research on the role of apologies in maintaining close relationships.
TL;DR: This article proposed the theoretical triangulation of feminist intersectionality, critical, and symbolic interaction perspectives as an innovative qualitative family research approach, which exposes underlying mechanisms that facilitate and constrain agency as well as the forces and conditions that create or maintain inequities.
Abstract: We propose the theoretical triangulation of feminist intersectionality, critical, and symbolic interaction perspectives as an innovative qualitative family research approach. Theoretical triangulation draws on alternative theories as analytical frameworks to explore different viewpoints about research phenomena. Feminist intersectionality provides a rich examination of phenomena at the intersection of conditions of power, privilege, and oppression; critical and symbolic interaction theoretical perspectives provide for additional depth of analysis and critique of the complex dynamics that shape family life. Theoretical triangulation exposes underlying mechanisms that facilitate and constrain agency, as well as the forces and conditions that create or maintain inequities. Understanding these mechanisms extends knowledge beyond categories of difference and oppressed–oppressor dualities to illuminate the potential for social change with a social justice agenda.
TL;DR: Levin, I. as mentioned in this paper, Women Voicing Resistance: Discursive and Narrative Explorations, 7(3), 340-343, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.10.1111/jftr.12088.
Abstract: This is the accepted version of the following article: Levin, I. (2015), Women Voicing Resistance: Discursive and Narrative Explorations. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 7(3), 340–343., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12088.
TL;DR: The heterogeneous treatment effects approach, a method designed to account for both pretreatment heterogeneity and post-treatment heterogeneity, has been proposed in this paper to answer key research questions in family life.
Abstract: Family researchers are increasingly concerned with causal inference. In this article, I urge family researchers to consider 2 types of causal inference: pretreatment heterogeneity, a consideration of nonrandom selection into a treatment (e.g., divorce), and posttreatment heterogeneity, a consideration of systematic differential responses to a treatment. I detail the heterogeneous treatment effects approach, a method designed to account for both pretreatment heterogeneity and posttreatment heterogeneity. I then review existing research that has implemented this method, paying particular attention to research on family life. Finally, I provide concrete examples of how family researchers can implement heterogeneous treatment effects to answer key research questions.
TL;DR: An existing grounded theory was used as a framework to synthesize findings in 17 reports from 16 studies and confirmed the theory and posit three additional factors that may influence parent-to-child transition of care management.
Abstract: Although parents and children must adhere to five primary treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF), and their roles transition over time, the scope of CF studies often has been limited to one treatment regimen or to children within a specified age range. The purpose of this mixed research synthesis study is to integrate findings from qualitative and quantitative studies addressing the transition of CF management from parent to child, as well as factors related to adherence across treatments and over time. An existing grounded theory was used as a framework to synthesize findings in 17 reports from 16 studies. The results confirm the theory and posit three additional factors that may influence parent-to-child transition of care management.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the contradictions between what women say about their desires to marry and what they actually do when the opportunity presents itself, and use exemplar cases from a longitudinal ethnographic study of low-income rural mothers to demonstrate their reasoning.
Abstract: A common assertion in the family science literature is that low-income single mothers are increasingly retreating from marriage but still vaunt it as their ultimate relationship goal. To explain this paradox, scholars frequently cite inadequacies in men's marriageability, financial instability, and conflictual romantic relationships as primary forces in mothers' decisions not to marry. We propose an alternative reasoning for this paradox using symbolic interactionist theory and perspectives on poverty and uncertainty. Specifically, we highlight the contradictions between what women say about their desires to marry and what they actually do when the opportunity presents itself. We use exemplar cases from a longitudinal ethnographic study of low-income rural mothers to demonstrate our reasoning. Implications for future research and theory development are discussed.
TL;DR: The ethical phenomenology of Emmanuel Levinas holds particular promise in this endeavor, as his work highlights the ways in which family life emerges out of an ethical relationality that is operative in virtually all family relations as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Phenomenology is introduced as a source of new insights into how family relations are lived and experienced today. The ethical phenomenology of Emmanuel Levinas holds particular promise in this endeavor, as his work highlights the ways in which family life emerges out of an ethical relationality that is operative in virtually all family relations. Through learning to see how ethical relationality informs the active, ongoing responsiveness of the ways of being of family members, forms of violence in family life, and the relation between family and other social organizations, interests, and institutions, ethical phenomenology can assist interpretive family research in making manifest dimensions of family life that were previously overlooked and unappreciated, and it can contribute to the development of theoretical innovations in understanding family.
TL;DR: In this article, a transdisciplinary dance/family studies transdisciplinary project is presented, which is based on a collaboration between a trained choreographer and dancer and a trained family scholar.
Abstract: Using our dance/family studies transdisciplinary project as a site of analysis, we review the existing literature of arts/social science endeavors and share innovative methodological practices from our project. Unlike most arts/social science endeavors, our project is transdisciplinary and is based on a collaboration between a trained choreographer and dancer and a trained family scholar. The transdisciplinary nature of our project is highlighted in the choreographer's kinesthetic analysis of the family scholar's qualitative data, the use of a pilot study, duo-memoing, and a strong commitment to sharing authorship of all our writing. Throughout the article, we highlight the benefits of our work for the field of family studies.
TL;DR: In this paper, the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze can change, re-create, and infiltrate normative notions of family and innovate inquiry and scholarship, and the authors suggest that the philosophy can change and re-invariantize family and innovation in new and interesting ways.
Abstract: Qualitative inquiry can provide opportunities to utilize and work with theory in new and interesting ways. In this article we suggest that the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze can change, re-create, and infiltrate normative notions of family and innovate inquiry and scholarship. We begin by discussing research, theory, and methodology in family studies and the sameness and simulation present in the field. Then we move to briefly situate Deleuze within a historical and theoretical context, and we discuss immanence and difference as ideas that can disrupt and create potential. Specifically, we discuss Deleuze's concepts difference, rhizome, and becoming. Using these and other ideas, we offer some suggestions concerning how these concepts might be applied in qualitative family inquiry.
TL;DR: Agency as a fulcrum for application, and the usefulness of theory in theory development process is discussed in this article, where the authors discuss resilience versus plasticity and usefulness of theory.
Abstract: Keywords:
Agency as fulcrum for application;
application;
collaboration;
family science;
family therapy;
practice;
resilience versus plasticity;
theory development process;
usefulness of theory
TL;DR: This paper explored the development of emerging adults who are homeless and explored their immediate and intertwined experiences of geography, social networks, and daily paths, and found that these dynamic contexts may play significant roles in emerging adults' homeless experiences, continued chronic homelessness, and/or successful transitions to self-sufficient adulthood.
Abstract: Limited research addresses the development of emerging adults who are homeless, and studies rarely explore their immediate and intertwined experiences of geography, social networks, and daily paths. These dynamic contexts may play significant roles in emerging adults' homeless experiences, continued chronic homelessness, and/or successful transitions to self-sufficient adulthood. Applying geographic theory to emerging adult development among marginalized youth offers new linguistic and methodological tools to further our understanding of what emerging adulthood looks like and how it functions among youth “on the street,” those “of the street,” and those who have been completely abandoned. An integrated theoretical model is offered for innovative interdisciplinary research on the lived experiences of homeless youth, particularly related to developmental themes of exploration, stability, and connectedness.