Family Stress Management: A Contextual Approach

by Pauline E Boss, Chalandra M. Bryant, Jay A. Mancini

Why do some families survive stressful situations while others fall apart? Can a family’s beliefs and values be used as a predictor of vulnerability to stress? And most importantly, can family stress be prevented? The Third Edition of Family Stress Management continues its original commitment to recognize both the external and internal contexts in which distressed families find themselves. With its hallmark Contextual Model of Family Stress (CMFS), the Third Edition provides practitioners and researchers with a useful framework to understand and help distressed individuals, couples, and families. The example of a universal stressor—a death in the family—highlights cultural differences in ways of coping. Throughout, there is new emphasis on diversity and the nuances of family stress management—such as ambiguous loss—plus new discussions on family resilience and community as resources for support.

Genres: Psychology

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[peachesaregood · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book offers a detailed and thorough exploration of family stress theory and covers multiple approaches and theories.

However, it's hard to follow due to its poor organization. The information presented feels repetitive, with concepts and theories not clearly distinguished, making it challenging to remember how different parts relate to one another.

Personally, I found the book to be a confusing introduction to family stress theory. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone new to the field.

[Amy]

As textbooks go this is one that I actually looked forward to picking up. Very relevant information and I appreciated how down to earth the writing style was. There were a couple of times where I thought they got a little lost (the thesis is the antithesis). However, there is a great deal of relevance in ambiguous loss especially as it is relatable to technology today. I would love to see more from the research on how that will affect future generations of children as it relates to attachment.

[aryssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished my first book of grad school!

It was a thorough introduction to theories, models, and methods of interacting with families in stress and crisis. It covered intersectional contextual considerations necessary for working with families. It'll be a helpful reference when working with families.

ps, i do not like apa format. it's silly, intrusive, and unwelcome. in-text citations should be canceled.