Family Focus on Divorce and Relationship Dissolution
It's a reality: approximately half of American marriages dissolve. About 40% of children will experience parental divorce, and about one-half of all children will spend some time in a single-parent family before adulthood. What does the research show regarding the consequences of divorce and relationship dissolution for families? What can practitioners do to help families through this process? In this issue of NCFR Report, NCFR experts report the research and offer help for the helpers.
How do family professionals find their career paths? Is it careful planning-or "luck?" What roles do mentors play? How can we combine a "family" career with our own family responsibilities? In this issue of NCFR Report, read how your colleagues have developed professionally-and how they've developed the profession.
No longer children, not yet adults, adolescents are negotiating a unique developmental stage of transition and transformation. What are the risks? What promotes resilience? In this issue of NCFR Report, your colleagues answer these and other questions.
Teasing out the issue of Social Class from other family demographics such as race, ethnicity, occupation, and geographic setting isn't easy. Annette Lareau, Stephen Marks and other scholars will get us started- And so "Class" begins now.
Changing demographics. Technological and medical advances. Diverse family structures. Uncertain futures in family policy. How will these changes affect families? In this issue, Jetse Sprey, Arlene Skolnick and many others weigh-in on the possibilities. Join us as we look into the future.
Disabilities-acute and chronic, visible and hidden-are a fact of life for a significant number of American families. According to a July 19 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, 51.2 million-or 18% of the population-have some level of disability. In this issue, we explore how individuals of all ages and their families deal with disabilities on a daily basis, and we look at systems that support their efforts.
Cell phones and pagers, e-mail and the Internet, endless to-do lists...in a 24/7 world, it's getting harder to stay competitive on the job and still be truly "present" at home. In this issue, we explore the intersection of work and family life and how families are coping with unrelenting "busy-ness."
Once the research design is established, the data collected, and the proper calculations made, researchers must still ask, "What do these findings mean for real families in real situations? And what are the policy implications for government, business, and family-serving organizations?" In other words, "So what?" In this issue, we attempt to help researchers answer this question. We offer suggestions on how to present research findings to policymakers and engage students in policy discussions. We also explore the relationship between public policy and child care, child custody, single-mother families and other issues.
When faced with crises such as unemployment, illness, divorce, or natural disaster, families need the physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial resources to bounce back. In this issue, we explore programs and policies that can increase family resilience. And we look at families themselves and the ways they face difficult situations with strength and grace.
"There is no way to escape aging. I, too, will grow old." This is the first of five "remembrances" that form a daily Buddhist meditation, meant to remind practitioners of life's transitory nature. In this issue, we explore various aspects of aging and related issues, such as state and federal public policies, intergenerational equity, retirement, romance and sexuality, grandparenting, caregiving, and the transmission of wisdom through storytelling.
"The truth is that families come in many different shapes these days, and all of them deserve respect," proclaimed an editorial that appeared several years ago in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In this issue, we explore some of those shapes and what they mean for family members. We also explore several new theories about the family and its continuing evolution.
Family Focus on Substance Abuse Across the Life Span
"O God! That men and women should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains," wrote Shakespeare in Othello. Today, people still drink to excess, but they also abuse a host of other substances that "steal away their brains." Articles in this issue of NCFR Report exlore substance abuse and associated issues, including children born with fetal alcohol syndrome, adolescents who smoke, college students in recovery, older alcoholics, and the need for services tailored to rural residents.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, this issue of NCFR Report presents perspectives from around the world. Such perspectives are essential. By 2025, over 80 percent of the world's population will live in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In the United States, immigration from non-Western countries now accounts for a major share of population growth. It's time to develop a more comprehensive approach to our understanding of diverse families within the ever-changing demographic landscape.
"...no argument can stand that supports unequal opportunity or any intrinsic disqualification for sharing in the whole of life," wrote anthropologist Margaret Mead. Articles in this issue of NCFR Report-which complements the annual conference theme-explore inequalities that affect families. Some are external and lead to poverty and lack of civic participation. Others exist within the family itself as a result of divorce or gender roles.
According to writer Dolores Curran "healthy families are our greatest national resource." But healthy families don't just happen. That's where family life educators come in. Their purpose is to help individuals and families learn the skills they need at all stages of the life cycle. In this issue, we explore how family life educators are meeting the needs of people in a variety of communities and settings - from the pediatrician's office to the local area agency on aging.
Family Focus on Mental Health Over the Life Course
"Mental health" is more than the absence of mental illness. It is the balance among the social, physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of life. Our mental health impacts our choices and our ability to life's challenges. In this issue, we explore the mental health of interracial couples; poor, rural mothers; noncustodial mothers; infants, and immigrant youth. We also include information on programs that connect families and individuals with mental health resources and mentoring programs.
According to writer Christina Baldwin, "Spirituality is the sacred center out of which all life comes..." For many families, participation in a faith community and belief in core values form the basis of their life together. In this issue, we explore how faith and spirituality contribute to individual and family resilience, why the church is so important for many African Americans, and how religious beliefs can shape and enrich family life. Also included is information about President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative.
"Marriage is a great institution," Mae West once said, adding "but I'm not ready for an institution." Unlike West, many people today feel that the institution of marriage should be promoted for the sake of our children and our nation. But others believe that marriage by itself isn't enough: the relationship must also be healthy and fulfilling. In this issue, we explore marriage promotion and enrichment, cross-cultural perspectives, moments of marital stress, and what some see as a move away from marriage.
Carrie Saxon Perry, the former mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, once defined poverty as a lack of options: "The less choice you have, the poorer you are." That describes the life of working-poor families. A lack of living-wage jobs often means that families must live in unsafe housing, forego healthcare, or eat whatever they can find at the food shelf. In this issue, we explore the lives of those who are "trying to make a way outa' no way."
According to futurist Faith Popcorn, it's a "dream as old as America itself: give me a piece of land to call my own, a little town where everyone knows my name." But that dream is getting harder to realize. Many farmers are declaring bankruptcy. Jobs are scarce. Health care and social services may be hours away from those who need them. In this issue, we explore these issues and their impact on rural families.
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