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Many of the persistent problems in family measurement are due to inappropriate applications of theory, fuzzy conceptualizations of constructs, poor decisions regarding units of measurement, and disconnections between what researchers want to measure and how they operationalize their variables of interest. This article contains a series of tasks for family researchers to follow in planning their investigations that will help them avoid fundamental family measurement problems.

The purposes of this article are: (a) to examine current trends and issues in family nursing research from the perspective of an intimate outsider to the field, and (b) to offer predictions regarding future trends for family nursing research. The article is divided into three sections. First, the unique dimensions offamilies are identified and the problems these characteristics present to researchers are briefly examined. Second, a brief overview of the topics studied in family nursing research and the methodological issues of that body of literature are presented. Finally, conclusions are drawn and observations are made about the current status of family nursing research, and recommendationsfor thefuture are offered. Among the predictions are an increase in multidisciplinary research teams, greater use of midrange theories, an increase in conceptual and methodological complexity, more study offamily diversity, greater use offeministframeworks, and an increase in the number offamily nursing scholars who have programs of research.

"This second edition synthesizes the emerging knowledge base on the diversity of stepfamilies, their inherent concerns, and why so relatively little is still known about them. Its extensive findings shed needed light on family arrangements relatively new to the literature (e.g., cohabitating stepparents), the effects of these relationships on different family members (e.g., stepsiblings, stepgrandparents), the experiences of gay and lesbian stepfamilies, and the stigma against non-nuclear families. Coverage reviews effective therapeutic and counseling interventions for emotional, familial, and social challenges of stepfamilies, as well as the merits of family education and self-help programs. The authors explore prevailing myths about marriage, divorce, and stepfamily life while expanding the limits of stepfamily research. Among the topics included: The cultural context of stepfamilies; Couple dynamics in stepfamilies; Gay and lesbian couples in stepfamilies; The dynamics of stepparenting; Siblings, half-siblings, and stepsiblings; Effects of stepfamily living on children; Clinical perspectives on stepfamily dynamics. For researchers and clinicians who work with families, it enriches the literature as it offers insights and guidelines for effective practice as well as possible avenues for future research"--Provided by publisher

This carefully balanced academic work chronicles the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of American families from the colonial period to the present. Key themes include families and culture (including mass media), families and religion, families and the economy, families and social issues, families and social stratification and conflict, family structures (including marriage and divorce, gender roles, parenting and children, and mixed and non-modal family forms), and family law and policy

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Timeline of Major Events that Affected Families in the 20th Century -- 1. Courtship, Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, and Bereavement: Family Transitions in the 20th Century -- 2. How Families Lived -- 3. Work and Family Life -- 4. Rituals: How Families Developed and Maintained Shared Meanings -- 5. Mothers and Motherhood -- 6. Men in Families -- 7. Children and Adolescents in Families -- 8. Family Abuse and Neglect: The Dark Side of Families -- 9. Alternative Family Forms -- References -- Index.

Stepfamily Relationships: Development, Dynamics, and Interventions offers what has so far been missing in the field - a comprehensive, multidisciplinary text that provides a state-of-the-art look at this important facet of family study. This volume examines the variety of relationships within step-households as well as between households, focusing on internal family dynamics while maintaining a cultural and historical viewpoint. The diversity and complexity of families is emphasized throughout, including gay and lesbian stepfamilies, stepfamilies of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds, and stepfamilies across the life course. It will be a welcome text and reference for all those who study and work with stepfamilies and families in general

This study explores the effects of integrative teaching on college students' unrealistic and romantic beliefs about marriage. The hypothesis that students in the integrative teaching group would significantly lower unrealistic beliefs was partially supported, with students in the integrative teaching group significantly lowering their romantic beliefs. Unrealistic relationship beliefs decreased for both comparison and integrative teaching groups. Women in both groups ascribe to fewer unrealistic relationship and romantic beliefs. Implications of these findings are discussed.

AbstractIn this study 116 men and 200 women randomly selected from phone books in the midwestern United States responded to a vignette designed to assess their attitudes about the obligation of men toward intergenerational family financial obligations following divorce. The hypotheses were: (1) Men will be perceived to have greater obligations to financially assist a father than to assist a stepfather or former father‐in‐law, and (2) men will be perceived to have greater obligations to financially assist a son than to assist an elderly family member. An additional research question was addressed: What rationale do people give to explain their beliefs about men's intergenerational financial obligations following divorce? Data were analyzed using chi‐square tests (forced‐choice responses) and qualitative methods (open‐ended responses). Both hypotheses were supported. Obligation was greatest to offspring, followed by fathers, stepfathers, and former fathers‐in‐law. However, attitudes about intergenerational obligations were contextual, and they depended on relationship quality, resources available, acuity of need, and ongoing commitments.