Families with Adolescents

are shaping many of the challenges faced by families. The focus of the book, therefore, is on family processes, family structure, family conflict, and family problem solving, as well as related interactions within and among different dyadic relationships within the family (e.g., the parent-adolescent, interparental, and sibling subsystems). Significant attention is devoted to how these dimensions of the family system may contribute in either positive or negative ways to adolescent delinquency, mental health, substance use, sexual activity, education, and social competence. This book focuses on these issues with a thoughtful review of the key empirical literature found in prominent publication sources on families with adolescents conducted over the last fifteen years. When Gavazzi turns to the issue of application, he focuses on family-based work that targets such problem behaviors as adolescent delinquency, mental health, and substance abuse. Other family-based interventions deal with multiple problem behaviors, while the family prevention chapter focuses on family strengthening strategies and those approaches that target families that are at risk. Families with Adolescents is the first book of its kind to review, analyze and integrate theory, research, and practice about families and adolescents so comprehensively. It is a landmark publication that scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates from many social science fields will find invaluable for understanding the challenges and dynamics of families during this fascinating phase of the life course."

- Gary W. Peterson
Professor and Chair
Department of Family Studies and Social Work
101C McGuffey Hall
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056

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"Designed to guide students and professionals in using the "triple threat" of current theory, research, and preventions/interventions in professional practice and, this book is outstanding for inaugurating students into and updating practioners in the scholarship and programs for families with adolescents. This book moves beyond traditional approaches by integrating ideas from prominent theoretical foundations (family developmental, family systems, ecological, attachment, and social learning), highlighting research in the past 15 years on overall family systems and subsystems with adolescents (mother-youth, father-youth, mother-father-youth, siblings), families and adolescent outcomes, and providing both general guidelines and specific examples of family programs to serve as a foundation for prevention and intervention. In sum, this is an exciting resource that challenges readers to maximize the synergies of integrating contributions from theory, current research, and practice in prevention, intervention, and scholarship to promote adaptation in families with adolescents."

- Carolyn Henry
Professor of Human Development and Family Science
Oklahoma State University

From the reviews:

"The book is organized into five parts. ... The literature reviewed in this book provides considerable evidence for the importance of family relationships in adolescent development. ... Readers can pursue topics of interest in greater depth by following leads provided in the extensive reference list. Graduate students seeking research topics and clinicians interested in an update of the empirical literature on families with adolescents will also find value in this book ... ." (Joseph A. Micucci, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 56 (32), August, 2011)

"Families with Adolescents: Bridging the Gap Between Theory, Research, and Practice is one of several books that have been recently published that focus on adolescents within the family. ... Families with Adolescents achieves its objective in a clear, yet concise, manner. ... Families with Adolescents offers a comprehensive look at a specific field of study and would be an important addition to a growing library of scholarly work that is focused on adolescents and their families." (Larry F. Forthun, Journal of Youth Adolescence, Vol. 40, 2011)