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AbstractIn this article, we propose the conceptualization of family structure as an important socially stratified grouping within a social determinants of health (SDOH) framework. We explore how family science literature supports this conceptualization of family structure through evidence of inequity in health outcomes across structurally diverse families that can and ought to be addressed; social stratification across family structures in which some family forms have greater prestige and power than others; and internalized, personally mediated, and institutional prejudices and discriminations that operate on the basis of these social stratifications. Ultimately, we contend that conceptualizing family structure as a socially stratified grouping within an SDOH framework can help enhance family science scholarship and assist family professionals in more effectively serving contemporary families.

ObjectiveTo determine how engagement in family management practices (i.e., parent–youth closeness, knowledge of youth's friends, shared family meals, and media monitoring) is associated with positive developmental outcomes for youth living in diverse family structures.BackgroundAs patterns of unmarried childbearing, cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage have changed in the United States, youth increasingly live in diverse family structures. Limited research, however, addresses positive youth development in these families. Specific family tasks and caregiver constellations in the home may mean that youth in different family structures benefit differently from family management practices.MethodUsing data from 9,131 households with a 12‐ to 17‐year‐old child in the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children's Health, structural equation modeling was used to test whether four family management practices were associated with two positive youth developmental outcomes (flourishing and extracurricular activity participation). Multigroup analyses tested for differences in the associations across family structures.ResultsFamily management practices were generally positively associated with positive youth development. The strength of associations between specific family management practices and positive youth developmental outcomes, however, varied across family structures, suggesting that practices may have differing effectiveness depending on family context.ConclusionUnderstanding mechanisms that promote positive youth developmental outcomes in diverse family structures and how mechanisms may function differently across family contexts can broaden the sophistication of family theories and interventions.

Increases in divorce, remarriage, and stepfamily formation have added complexity to sibling composition. Biological siblings have been found to be key players in children's lives, and relationships with half and stepsiblings also likely influence individual development and adjustment. In this systematic integrative review, we synthesize and critique 46 studies on half and stepsibling relationships, a literature that has seen marked growth in recent years. Researchers have focused predominately on two areas: individual outcomes associated with having half or stepsiblings and predictors of half and stepsibling relationship quality. Although research designs have become more methodologically sophisticated, deficit‐comparison studies in which half and stepsiblings are compared to siblings in nuclear families remain common. We discuss challenges in studying sibling complexity and propose opportunities for examining how half and stepsibling relationships may contribute to individual and family resilience.

Death and loss are often uncomfortable topics for adults to discuss with young children. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, made the avoidance of these topics nearly impossible. The current study explored how 20 parents engaged with their young children (ages 3–6) in discussions about death, dying, and loss as they jointly experienced this global crisis. Interviews were conducted both prepandemic (Summer/Fall 2019) and a year later, at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccines were approved (Summer 2020). Results suggest parents largely sought to balance sheltering children from stress and socializing them with socioemotional competencies. The pandemic context, however, brought parents a sense of urgency to scaffold their children's ability to remain resilient after experiencing losses. Practical implications are discussed regarding how family nurses and other practitioners can provide support to families of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic and potential future global crises.

Using data from 291 divorced mothers and fathers, we compared their perceptions of how much legal‐financial, time‐logistics, and parental fitness barriers influenced their postdivorce coparenting, and we tested the associations between these barriers to postdivorce coparenting and self‐reported coparenting behaviors. Men perceived greater legal‐financial and time‐logistics barriers to postdivorce coparenting than did women, but no gender differences were found for perceived parental fitness barriers. In hierarchical regression analyses, perceived legal‐financial and parental fitness barriers were associated with mothers' coparenting behaviors; fathers' postdivorce coparenting behaviors were associated only with perceived legal‐financial barriers. Neither men's nor women's postdivorce coparenting behaviors were associated with time‐logistics barriers to postdivorce coparenting. Family professionals could support postdivorce coparents by reframing detrimental perceptions, helping parents navigate economic challenges, and providing resources or counseling for couples experiencing mental health challenges or abuse.

Divorced parents face distinct challenges in providing care for chronically ill children. Children's residence in two households necessitates the development of family-specific strategies to ensure coparents' supervision of regimen adherence and the management of children's health care. Utilizing a risk and resilience perspective, a grounded theory study was conducted with 14 divorced parents of children with chronic illnesses. The importance of trust, gender, and relationships with third-party care providers emerged as key themes related to the development of effective coparenting relationships for maintaining children's health. Divorced parents were best able to support the management of their children's chronic conditions when care providers operated as neutral third parties and intermediaries. Collaborative family care may require health care practitioners to avoid being drawn into contentious inter-parental conflicts.

AbstractAlthough therapy, relationship education, and online relationship resources may help alleviate relational distress, many adolescents and adults eschew help. Deciding to seek help for relationship concerns involves mental processes that reflect behavioral intentions and information‐seeking behaviors. The present paper examines the prevalence of adolescents' (N = 183) intentions and behaviors to seek relationship help, and investigates determinants of such decisions. Results indicate that only readiness to change was consistently associated with help‐seeking decisions. In contrast, other factors varied, with relationship status associated only with future intentions, and family difficulties associated only with behaviors to seek relational assistance. Programs may benefit from considering methods of disseminating information and encouraging adolescents to reflect upon reasons for considering making changes.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a youth relationship education program (YREP) on psychological functioning and to understand the mechanisms associated with change in distress.BackgroundSuccessfully (or unsuccessfully) navigating romantic relationships is a robust predictor of adolescent mental health. Youth relationship education programs have been found to promote adaptive relationship knowledge, attitudes, and skills; however, little research has examined how such programs influence mental health.MethodThis study examined whether significant reductions in psychological distress occurred for a diverse sample of adolescents (N = 113) completing a YREP. The study also explored whether the curriculum, Love Notes 3.0, was effective in reducing distress due to changes in hope and compromising conflict‐resolution behaviors.ResultsFrom pretest to posttest, psychological distress decreased for young women but not for young men. Furthermore, reductions in distress were associated with simultaneous increases in hope, but not reductions in conflict‐resolution behaviors.ConclusionYREPs can assist in improving youth's knowledge about adaptive relational dynamics while also significantly improving psychological functioning, primarily through increasing hope.ImplicationsYREPs may be beneficial for youth's mental health, and hope may play an important role. Encouraging youth to set clear goals and promoting self‐efficacy for behaviors that enact those goals may be helpful considerations for those serving youth (and particularly adolescent young men) in YREPs.

ObjectiveIn this Lessons from the Field, we describe the lessons we learned from developing the Divorce Education Assessment Collaborative (DEAC) and creating a longitudinal evaluation plan for divorce education programs across geographically, programmatically, and format‐diverse programs.BackgroundAlthough divorce education programs are commonly mandated for divorcing parents, variability in program content, format, and design can make it difficult to determine the efficacy of such programs. We contend developing a standardized evaluation tool, and making it freely available to programs, is essential for identifying best practices and moderators of program effectiveness.ExperienceMembers of the DEAC share their experiences and insights regarding successes and challenges in coordinating and collaborating to develop an evaluation tool that is concise, but provides key information about program effectiveness and participants' program experiences.ConclusionIdentifying and bringing together an idea champion, invested stakeholders, and critical resources (e.g., seed funding, teleconferencing, document collaboration software) were key components in the development of an effective multisite divorce education evaluation tool.ImplicationsThe strategies used to develop the DEAC may serve as a model for collaborative projects that bridge practice and research.