Dealing with stress and trauma in families

Abstract

Traditional models of individual adaptation to stress increasingly are being supplemented with family-based conceptualizations of stress appraisal, coping, and resiliency. This article begins with a brief description of a theoretic framework for understanding how families evaluate stressors and their own coping resources and how this process guides their response to stress. Characteristics associated with successful family adaptation to stress then are outlined in relation to a number of both normative and unexpected stressors. Most families at some point experience stress in the context of normative transitions, such as changes in family composition through birth, maturation, or family break-up. Severe unexpected stressors that place significant strain on family functioning include serious illness, death, violence, and both natural and man-made disasters. Recommendations for therapeutic interventions with families are provided.