Family Processes and Children's and Adolescents' Well‐Being

Abstract

The primary purpose of this review was to examine theory and research published during the past decade that focused on family processes and children's and adolescents' well‐being. Scholarship focused on family processes and child and adolescent well‐being made significant and exciting advances during this decade based on several key advancements. In addition to a brief introduction and a conclusion, this decade in review is organized into four sections. In the first section, advances made in the literature because of increased attention to complexity and specificity are illustrated. The second section describes advances that were made because of increased attention to family processes in diverse families. Diversity in the samples of families studied, extensions in family process models, and the revisioning of grand theories using a diversity lens that were used to conceptualize family processes are detailed. In the third section, the importance of time in the study of family processes and child and adolescent well‐being is described. The emphasis on families' daily lives is noted. In addition, prospective considerations and studies of change over time are highlighted. Strengths in family functioning are detailed in the fourth section of this article: positivity, regulatory processes, and family organization. These three areas were selected to elaborate the idea that one of the major advancements in the family process literature during the past decade was an emphasis on family strengths. This review concludes with a commentary regarding how conceptual and methodological advancements during the past decade can guide future scholarship.

Adolescent-to-Parent Violence: Psychological and Family Adjustment

“…Regarding this finding, some authors have proposed a link between the victim's gender and gender roles (Cottrell and Monk, 2004;Gallagher, 2004;Cortina and Martín, 2020). Thus, it is possible that the incorporation of women to the labor market, along with a dynamic flexible family model (Buehler, 2020), may contribute to a parity between mothers and fathers as victims (Williams et al, 2017). Furthermore, the blurring of gender roles in adolescents in comparison to traditional gender roles of the past may also play a key role.…”

Families Across the Income Spectrum: A Decade in Review

“…When children grow up in unstable contexts with high levels of stress, outcomes can be worse (Buehler, ; Umberson, & Thomeer, ). New research has shown associations between repeated income shocks and reduced educational engagement and between instability and food insecurity as well as reduced educational achievement in adulthood, especially for children in low‐income families (Gennetian, Wolf, Hill, & Morris, ; B. L. Hardy, ; Wolf & Morrissey, ).…”

Adolescent Sexual Development: A Family Perspective

“…Studies of family process can shed light on the interactions that occur among family members as they communicate with and relate to one another, including offering support and affection as well as neglect and aggression (Buehler, 2020). To better understand how families influence adolescent sexual development and well-being, researchers have mostly examined the quality of parent-child relationships.…”

“…Families matter: the family is the primary social institution charged with the responsibility for rearing children to become productive members of society (Allen & Henderson, 2017;Seltzer, 2019). The family's emotional life is the interior arena for the transmission of values, attitudes, and behaviors that are deemed appropriate to the parents' social network (Buehler, 2020). Families are a container and a filter for communicating to the young what is valued by the parents' society, as well as how to think, feel, and behave as a member of that society.…”