Based on the premise that the family is a child's primary resource, this much-needed work bridges the gap between family therapy and child therapy by putting the child's experience into a family context. A unique and wide-ranging examination of young children within families and the larger systems that contain them, this volume features noted therapists who represent a variety of theoretical systemic models. They apply these approaches to the understanding of children, their families, and the diversity of challenges and environmental conditions that confront them. Organized into five parts, Section I of CHILDREN IN FAMILY CONTEXTS addresses general issues from the point of view of the child mental health professional, examining treatment, development, and dysfunction, and demonstrating how the introduction of a family systems framework enriches these perspectives. Section II examines children in different types of family structures including two-parent, single-parent, adoptive, and remarried families. Section III covers some of the kinds of exceptional difficulties that families with young children often have to face. Children with cognitive handicaps, chronic physical illness, and obesity are discussed as well as such topics as the death of a parent, parental substance abuse, and mental illness. Section IV focuses on the interface between families and the larger systems including the extended family, schools, the legal system, and foster-care or placement systems. And Section V discusses the ways in which agencies, attitudes, and families shape both beliefs and management. Diverse in its approach, CHILDREN IN FAMILY CONTEXTS demonstrates that assessing and working through the family relationship constitutes a powerful means of supporting and sustaining child development. As such, the book is an invaluable resource for any clinician who treats either children or families with children. It also serves as an enlightening text for graduate courses in family and child therapy.

The noted contributors represent diverse theoretical approaches, but all share a focus on the family as the primary context of development - and the most important resource for children who are struggling

Chapters by professionals and parents offer insight on theory, practice, and research in positive behavior support (PBS) with families affected by developmental disabilities and problem behavior. Early chapters describe PBS and look at assessment and intervention in family contexts. Later chapters p

Kids in Context is an excellent presentation of qualitative research and theories of childhood.

In the 1990s it is no longer "news" that families do not operate independently from other social organizations and institutions. Instead, it is generally recognized that families are embedded in a complex set of relationships with other institutions and contexts outside the family. In spite of this recognition, a great deal remains to be discovered about the ways in which families are influenced by these outside agencies or how families influence the functioning of children and adults in these extra-familial settings--school, work, day-care, or peer group contexts. Moreover, little is known about the nature of the processes that account for this mutual influence between families and other societal institutions and settings. The goal of this volume is to present examples from a series of ongoing research programs that are beginning to provide some tentative answers to these questions. The result of a summer workshop characterized by lively exchanges not only between speakers and the audience, but among participants in small group discussions as well, this volume attempts to communicate some of the dynamism and excitement that was evident at the conference. In the final analysis, this book should stimulate further theoretical and empirical advances in understanding how families relate to other contexts.

The Family Context of Parenting in Children's Adaptation to Elementary School is a result of a longitudinal prevention study of 100 families begun the year before their first children entered kindergarten. Each family went through an assessment and then a subset was randomly chosen for group intervention. The children in both groups were then studied as they progressed through kindergarten and first grade to assess the quality of their adaptation to the school environment. The text focuses on how parent-child relationships are only one determinant of a child's academic competence, social competence, and behavior. Rather, these relationships must be understood in the context of the role they play within the family as a system. It also addresses the recent challenges to claims about the impact of parents on their children's development. The book sheds additional light on family influences within the larger social environment as a key determinant of the quality of children's adjustment to schooling. It appeals to scientists, professionals, and parents alike.

Learn what trends and factors are influencing families globally How are families the same or different around the world? Families in a Global Context puts the similarities and differences into perspective, presenting an in-depth comparative analysis of family life in 17 countries around the world. Contributors discuss different countries' family life by using a standard framework to review major influences and patterns. The framework allows readers to do comparative reflection across several countries on a variety of daily living elements, including social and economic forces such as urbanization and modernization, changes in gender/courtship/spousal patterns, and war. This book provides an informative illustration of current as well as future trends of family life worldwide. Each chapter in Families in a Global Context describes customary types of family patterns within each country’s social organization and culture. Important social, economic, political, and other trends are explored in detail, and major ethnic, religious, or other subcultures are noted emphasizing marriage and family patterns that differ from the more typical ones. The book is extensively referenced and includes tables to clearly present data. Countries explored in Families in a Global Context include: European countries of Wales, Sweden, Germany, Romania, and Italy African countries of Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kenya Middle Eastern countries of Turkey and Iran Asian and Oceanian countries of India, China, the Philippines, and Australia Latin American countries of Brazil, Mexico, and Cuba Topics discussed for each country in Families in a Global Context include: demographics mate selection patterns with an emphasis on the dynamics of couple formation marital roles the place and role of children and parenting in families socialization for gender roles differences in education, employment, and other opportunities major stressors affecting families, coping, and adaptation aging and life expectancy issues and much more! Families in a Global Context is an insightful resource for researchers, educators, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students investigating comparative family topics of family life around the world and in cultural context.