The role of theory in guiding family assessment.

Argues that family assessment in both research and clinical practice is most useful when it is explicitly guided by theory. The current state of theorizing about the family is considered, including psychological, sociological, and systemic perspectives. Links between theory and assessment are also discussed. The field of family psychology, which has a role to play in providing conceptual ground for researchers and clinicians from diverse disciplines interested in the family, is used as an example of how theory and assessment can be bridged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in styles of occupational identity formation in late adolescence.

Administered to 41 male and 42 female high school juniors and seniors an interview assessing identity status and questionnaires measuring vocational identity, social desirability, masculinity/femininity, and achievement motivation. On 2 identity measures, males and females had progressed equal distances toward the achievement of an occupational identity. However, for young men, vocational identity was positively related to masculinity and orientations toward mastery and lack of concern about the negative evaluations of others. On the identity interview, occupational exploration was related to femininity, and occupational commitment was related to masculinity and mastery. For young women, vocational identity was positively related to masculinity and an orientation toward hard work; vocational identity was negatively related to competitiveness. Over 40% of the Ss were identity achievers, exhibiting high levels of occupational exploration and commitment. Identity formation in the late high school years is discussed in terms of a relative equilibrium before the transition marked by leaving home. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural socialization in families with internationally adopted children.

Cultural socialization attitudes, beliefs, and parenting behaviors were examined in families with internationally adopted children. The authors hypothesized that parents with lower color-blind racial attitudes would be more likely to engage in enculturation and racialization parenting behaviors because they hold stronger beliefs in the value and importance of cultural socialization. Using data from the Minnesota International Adoption Project, the results support this mediation model of cultural socialization. Individual variations in cultural socialization also are discussed in terms of child development and shifting adoption attitudes and practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rejoinder: The challenges of reconciling family theory with method.

Reply by Carlson and Grotevant regarding comments of their original article (see record 1988-17683-001). We appreciate the thoughtful and relevant comments concerning our review of family rating scales provided by Cowan, Coyne, and Fisher. There are many points in their comments with which we agree and that nicely complement the points of emphasis in our article. There are two key issues about which we would like to provide further comment. The first concerns choosing between rating scales and microanalytic interaction coding schemes. The second concerns the links between family theory and measurement and the implications of theory for the level of analysis at which family processes are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Guest editor's introduction: Current issues in the assessment of marital and family systems.

Introduces the articles appearing in this issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, (1989[Dec], Vol 3[2]). This special issue on marital and family assessment grew out of a symposium presented at the meeting of the Southwestern Society for Research on Human Development, held in New Orleans in March, 1988. Because many members of this interdisciplinary organization were exploring new approaches to understanding the family, the focus of the symposium was on several assessment-related issues facing both researchers and clinicians. Participants were selected because of their special expertise concerning designated substantive issues in family measurement. Each panel member was asked to discuss the issue from a conceptual vantage point and to illustrate the discussion with data from his or her research program. The conference papers served as the starting point for this volume; subsequently, papers were exchanged among subsets of symposium participants and were refined for inclusion in this special issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postplacement relationships between birth mothers and their romantic partners.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the understudied population of birth mothers who placed their infants for adoption 12–20 years ago was explored in the context of their romantic relationships. In a semistructured interview, 104 birth mothers answered detailed questions about their romantic relationships and adoption-related experiences. All birth mothers had disclosed the adoption placement to their romantic partners, and most had done so early because they wanted to be truthful about their past. On average, the birth mothers were satisfied with their romantic relationships and almost half did not believe that the adoption had affected it. Regarding contact in the adoption, a majority of the birth mothers' romantic partners (63.5%) were not directly involved in contact with the adoptive family or adopted youth. Implications about how adoption is perceived and processed within intimate relationships are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contact in adoption and adoptive identity formation: The mediating role of family conversation.

The present study examined adoption-related family conversation as a mediator of the association between adoptive parents' facilitation of contact with birth relatives and adolescent adoptive identity formation. The sample consisted of 184 adoptive families. Data were collected in two waves from adoptive mothers and fathers, and adoptees (M = 15.68 years at adolescence; M = 24.95 years at emerging adulthood) using semistructured interviews and questionnaires. Structural equation models showed a good fit to sample data, and analyses supported the hypothesized mediation model. Contact with birth relatives is associated with more frequent adoption-related family conversation, which in turn is associated with the development of adoptive identity. These results highlight the importance of supporting activities such as contact that lead to adoption-related family conversation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparative review of family rating scales: Guidelines for clinicians and researchers.

Evaluates 8 rating procedures used in the assessment of family functioning, using 7 criteria of properties of scales, 2 of rater competence and training, and 3 of psychometric validity and reliability. The following scales are included: Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Scale and Centripetal/Centrifugal Family Style Scale, McMaster Clinical Rating Scale, Family Assessment Measure Clinical Rating Scale, Global Family Interaction Scales, Clinical Rating Scale for the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems, Global Coding Scheme, and Family Interaction Q-Sort. Psychometric concerns and methodological dilemmas are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Openness arrangements and psychological adjustment in adolescent adoptees.

This is the 1st national study to examine whether the level of contact between adoptive and birth family members is associated with the behavioral and emotional adjustment of adolescents adopted in infancy (n = 92). Adoptive family members were interviewed twice, 8 years apart, to determine the level of contact taking place throughout adoptees' childhood and adolescence. The Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Achenbach, 1991a) and Youth Self-Report (T. M. Achenbach, 1991b) were administered in adolescence. Adoptive parents' reports indicate no significant associations between openness and adolescent adjustment. Adoptees experiencing long-term direct contact reported significantly lower levels of externalizing than adoptees without contact. Adoption policies and legal procedures will best serve families by facilitating voluntary openness agreements that accommodate openness decisions on a case-by-case basis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)