1. Family Stress, Crises and Resilience
Chapter 15
Family Stress, Crises and Resilience

2. Chapter Outline Theoretical Perspectives on Family Stress and Crisis
What Precipitates a Family Crisis?
The Course of a Family Crisis

3. Chapter Outline
Family Stress, Crisis, Adjustment and Adaptation: A Theoretical Model
Meeting Crises Creatively
Crisis: Disaster or Opportunity

4. Definition of Crisis Crisis involves change.
A crisis is a turning point with the potential for positive effects, negative effects, or both.
A crisis is a time of relative instability.

5. Types of Stressors Addition of a family member.
Loss of a family member.
Sudden change in income or social statues.
Ongoing family conflict.
Daily family hassles.

7. Types of Stressors Ambiguous loss
physically absent but still part of the family (divorce, missing in action).
physically present, but emotionally absent (drug /alcohol addiction).

8. Types of Stressors Caring for a dependent or disabled family member.
Demoralizing events - job loss, unwanted pregnancy, poverty, homelessness, having one’s child in foster care, mental illness, criminal prosecution.

9. Course of a Family Crisis
The event that caused the crisis.
Period of disorganization that follows.
Reorganization or recovery phase after the family reaches a low point.

10. Patterns of Family Adaptation to Crisis

11. Divorce As a Family Adjustment to Crisis and As a Crisis in Itself

12. ABC-X Model of Family Crisis
A - stressor event
interacting with
B -family’s ability to cope with a crisis
C - family’s appraisal of the stressor event
produces
X - the crisis.

14. Factors in Defining a Stressful Event
The nature of the stressor.
The degree of hardship or the kind of problems the stressor creates.
The families previous successful experience in the event crises.
Childhood legacies of adult family members.

15. Meeting Crisis Creatively
A positive outlook
Spiritual Values and Support Groups
Open, Supportive Communication
Adaptability
Informal Social Support
An Extended Family
Community Resources

16. Quick Quiz

17. 1. The text points out that a family member’s injury or illness, or a death in the family is a source of family
stress.
alienation.
disgruntlement.
panic.

18. Answer: a
The text points out that a family member’s injury or illness, or a death in the family is a source of family stress.

19. 2. Which of the following is NOT one of the types of stressors examined in the text?
daily family hassles
demoralizing events
conflict over family roles
gradual change

20. Answer: d
Gradual change is NOT one of the types of stressors examined in the text.

21. 3. In the ABC-X model of family crisis, the “B” represents
the family’s ability to cope with a crisis, their crisis-meeting resources.
the family’s appraisal of the stressor event.
the stressor event.
the crisis.

22. Answer: a
In the ABC-X model of family crisis, the “B” represents the family’s ability to cope with a crisis, their crisis-meeting resources.

23. 4. In the ABC-X model of family crisis, the “C” represents
the stressor event.
the crisis.
the family’s ability to cope with a crisis, their crisis meeting resources.
the family’s appraisal of the stressor event.

24. Answer: d
In the ABC-X model of family crisis, the “C” represents the family’s appraisal of the stressor event.