The construct, family resilience, has been defined and applied very differently by those who are primarily clinical practitioners and those who are primarily researchers in the family field. In thisarticle, the family resilience perspective is integrated with conceptual definitions from family stress theory using the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) Model in an effort to clarify distinctions between family resiliency as capacity and family resilience as a process. The family resilience process is discussed in terms of (a) the meaning of significant risk exposure (vs. the normal challenges of family life) and (b) the importance of making conceptual and operational distinctions between family system outcomes and family protective processes. Recommendations for future family resilience research are discussed.

Families, as social systems, can be considered "resilient" in ways that parallel descriptions of individual resilience. In this article, the conceptualization of family-level outcomes as a prerequisite for assessing family competence, and hence their resilience, is presented relative to the unique functions that families perform for their members and for society. The risk and protective processes that give rise to resilience in families are discussed in terms of family stress and coping theory, with a particular emphasis on the family's subjective appraisal of their sources of stress and their ability to manage them. An effort is made to distinguish two perspectives on resilience: exposure to significant risk as a prerequisite for being considered resilient versus promotion of strengths for all families in which life in general is viewed as risky. Implications for practitioners and policy makers in working with families to promote their resilience are discussed.

The developmental tasks associated with adolescence pose a unique set of stressors and strains. Included in the normative tasks of adolescence are developing an identity, differentiating from the family while still staying connected, and fitting into a peer group. The adolescent's adaptation to these and other, often competing demands is achieved through the process of coping which involves cognitive and behavioral strategies directed at eliminating or reducing demands, redefining demands so as to make them more manageable, increasing resources for dealing with demands, and/or managing the tension which is felt as a result of experiencing demands. In this paper, individual coping theory and family stress theory are reviewed to provide a theoretical foundation for assessing adolescent coping. In addition, the development and testing of an adolescent self‐report coping inventory, Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (A‐COPE) is presented. Gender differences in coping style are presented and discussed. These coping patterns were validated against criterion indices of adolescents' use of cigarettes, liquor, and marijuana using data from a longitudinal study of 505 families with adolescents. The findings are discussed in terms of coping theory and measurement and in terms of adolescent development and substance use.

Clinical research has led to tremendous improvements in treatment efficacy for most childhood cancers; overall 5-year survival is now greater than 75%. Long-term consequences of cure (i.e. adverse medical and psychosocial effects) have only recently begun to emerge as a primary focus of clinical research, including studies of health-related quality of life among survivors. Usually lacking in such efforts, however, is consideration of the impact of the cancer experience on the family, and the influence that the family's response to cancer has on quality of life in the child. From this qualitative analysis of seven focus groups with 45 parents of children a year or more out of cancer treatment, we report those aspects of a child's cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery that parents perceived as particularly difficult for their family, and the resources and coping behaviors parents perceived as helpful to their family in dealing with and managing the cancer experience. Using the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response theoretical model to organize the data, the domains of strains and resources were delineated into themes and sub-themes related to the cancer, child, family, health-care system, and community. Within a third domain, coping, sub-themes were identified within the themes of appraisal-focused, problem-focused, and emotion-focused coping behaviors. Integration of this information should serve to improve future studies of health-related quality of life among children who survive cancer.

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OBJECTIVE -This study examines the prevalence of specific weight control practices/ disordered eating behaviors and associations with sociodemographic characteristics, BMI and weight perceptions, family functioning, and metabolic control among adolescent females and males with type 1 diabetes. RESULTS -Unhealthy weight control practices were reported by 37.9% of the females and by 15.9% of the males. Among the females, 10.3% reported skipping insulin and 7.4% reported taking less insulin to control their weight. Only one male reported doing either of these behaviors. Weight control/disordered eating behaviors were not associated with age, parental level of education, family structure, or race/ethnicity. Higher levels of weight dissatisfaction tended to be associated with unhealthy weight control/disordered eating; associations with BMI were inconsistent. Family cohesion was negatively associated with disordered eating among females (r ϭ Ϫ0.52; P Ͻ 0.001) and males (r ϭ Ϫ0.41; P Ͻ 0.001), but correlations with other measures of family environment (control, independence, and responsibility for diabetes management) were not significant. Correlations between disordered eating and HbA 1c levels were significant among females (r ϭ 0.33; P Ͻ 0.01) and males (r ϭ 0.26; P Ͻ 0.05). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSCONCLUSIONS -Special attention is needed for youth with weight concerns and those from less cohesive families to assist in the development of healthy diabetes management behaviors.

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