The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Couples and Family Relationships

The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of COUPLES AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS “Perhaps as never before, models of couples and families are changing dramatically in the 21st century. This remarkable and timely collection brings it all together, from description of societal trends to psychological studies of communication, affect, and cognition to implications for health, intervention, and policy. Noller and Karantzas have assembled an outstanding, up-to-date collection of theoretically grounded, empirically rich chapters. This volume is likely to end up one of the most well-worn books on your desk.” Harry Reis, University of Rochester “This volume provides important, state-of-the art commentaries on the psychological, interpersonal, and social issues that face couples and families. Noller and Karantzas have assembled an excellent group of contributors who skillfully articulate current trends in scholarship and who apply research findings to practical concerns associated with treatment and policy. This is a must read for anyone interested in couple and family relationships.” Anita L. Vangelisti, University of Texas at Austin The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Couples and Family Relationships offers keen insights into ways to confront the unique challenges of relationships in 21st-century Western society. Original contributions from an international cast of leading relationship researchers, practitioners, educators, and policy makers link research, policy, and practice to reflect the most up-to-date knowledge of the myriad issues surrounding contemporary relationships. Themes explored include family structure versus functioning; attachment theory; divorce and family breakdown; communication and conflict; self-regulation, partner regulation, and behavior change; care-giving and parenting; relationship education; and therapy and policy implications. In addition to tackling issues of love, sex, and intimacy, a number of authors focus on specific interventions that can be utilized by professionals in assisting clients achieve more fulfilling relationships. This handbook is an invaluable resource for counselors, therapists, and others involved in helping couples and families to survive in the current social context.

List of Contributors xi Introduction 1 Patricia Noller and Gery C. Karantzas Part I Trends in Couple and Family Relationships 9 1 From Form to Function 11 Ruth Weston, Lixia Qu, and Alan Hayes 2 Social Trends and their Impact on Couple and Family Relationships 25 David de Vaus 3 Changing American Families in the 21st Century 36 Suzanne M. Bianchi, Sara B. Raley, and Lynne M. Casper Part II Families across the Lifespan 49 4 The Role of the Family across the Lifespan 51 Toni C. Antonucci, Kristin M. Wong, and Sarah Trinh 5 Parents and Adolescents 66 Ross B. Wilkinson 6 Family Caregiving 82 Gery C. Karantzas 7 Late-Life Transitions and Interventions 97 Kathleen Piercy Part III Communication and Conflict Processes in Couples and Families 113 8 Conflict Avoidance in Families 115 John P. Caughlin, Jennifer L. Hardesty, and Ashley V. Middleton 9 Conflict in Family Relationships 129 Patricia Noller 10 Demand–Withdraw Communication in Couples 144 Kathleen A. Eldridge and Brian Baucom Part IV Individual Differences Perspectives on Intimacy, Love, and Caregiving 159 11 Adult Attachment and Sexuality 161 Phillip R. Shaver and Mario Mikulincer 12 Sexual Dysfunction in Intimate Heterosexual Relationships 175 Denisa Goldhammer and Marita P. McCabe 13 Regulating Incentives and Threats in Close Relationships 193 Shelly L. Gable 14 Attachment and Caregiving 207 Melanie Canterberry and Omri Gillath Part V Cognitive and Affective Processes in Couple Relationships 221 15 Attachment Insecurities and Relationship Self-Regulation 223 Zoë J. Hazelwood 16 The Costs and Benefits of Trying to Change Intimate Partners 234 Nickola C. Overall 17 Through the Eyes of Love 248 Garth J. O. Fletcher and Patrick S. G. Kerr 18 Betrayal and Forgiveness in Couple Relationships 259 Julie Fitness Part VI Education and Intervention in Couple and Family Relationships 271 19 Taking it to the Streets (and Information Super Highways) 273 W. Kim Halford and Samira Hayes 20 Relationship Education 289 Judith A. Feeney and Jennifer Fitzgerald 21 A Common Factors Perspective of Relationship Counseling 305 Ruth Ingrid Sturmey, Patricia Noller, and Gery C. Karantzas 22 The Efficacy of Evidence-Based Couple Therapy 320 Peter Howell 23 Surviving Trauma 333 Susan M. Johnson and Kathryn D. Rheem 24 Children’s Adjustment after Parental Separation 345 Susie Sweeper Part VII Interpersonal Processes, Families, and Mental Health 361 25 Depression and Self-Harming in Adolescence 363 Kerryn Hurd and Patricia Noller 26 Attachment and Depression Across the Transition to Parenthood 377 Jeffry A. Simpson, W. Steven Rholes, and Sandra Shallcross 27 Recent Advances in Research on Social Support in Couples 392 Carolyn E. Cutrona 28 Chronic Illness and Relationships 406 Gery C. Karantzas, Marita P. McCabe, and Sian F. Cole Part VIII Implications for Policy 421 29 Promoting Positive Pathways for Youth and Young Adults to Healthy Relationships and Marriages 423 Alan J. Hawkins 30 Improving Child and Family Outcomes through a Collaborative Service Model 437 Michael White and Gail Winkworth 31 Are Governments and Marriage Strange Bedfellows? 453 W. Kim Halford and Elizabeth van Acker Part IX Integration and Conclusion 467 32 Common Themes in Couple and Family Relationship Research and Practice 469 Gery C. Karantzas and Patricia Noller Index 481