Understanding our extended families: predictors and outcomes

Abstract

Belding, for the immeasurable amount of guidance and support you have imparted on me throughout the course of this research. I would like to dedicate this work to my extended family. Your chaos and insanity, along with your love and support gave rise to this wonderful project and you all are and will continue to be my inspiration. A very special thanks to my loving parents, Terry and Diane Holst, whose love and words of encouragement carried me through this journey. Moreover, I owe a special thanks to my boyfriend, John Anderson, who supported, encouraged, and advised me as well as accepted the many highs and lows of the last two years. In addition, I would like to thank my friends, colleagues, the department faculty and staff for making my experience at Iowa State University a wonderful one. "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."-Helen Keller iv ABSTRACT Family composition in the United States has continued to become increasingly diverse as illustrated by an increase in the occurrence of single parent families, blended families, and same-sex parent families (Walsh, 2012). However, comparatively few studies of extended families include rural European-Americans. The objective of this study was to identify factors that contribute to family engagement between young adolescents and their extended families, as well as identifying developmental outcomes