Fact Sheet, Brief
This fact sheet summarizes research showing that children from military families experience above-average levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties and that longer parental deployments are associated with greater difficulties. (Author abstract) Superceded: See http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9568.html Barriers to engaging fathers in child welfare practice are explored, as well as the dangers of adopting a practice model that uncritically embraces fathers. Perspectives from fathers are shared and practices are proposed that align with the following principles: acknowledge their existence, understand there are different ways to be a father, violence does not necessarily eliminate men from being involved as fathers, and understand the context. Discussion questions are included. 49 references.
Brief
This brief discusses the need to delay early or unplanned fatherhood, and calls on policy makers intensify their focus on the responsibilities of men in preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy by addressing pregnancy planning and prevention in federally funded programs serving significant numbers of men, and reaching men more effectively in family planning programs. It recommends pregnancy planning and prevention be included as a component of such programs as responsible fatherhood, healthy relationships and marriage, education and workforce development, juvenile justice, and re-entry…
Brief
In the late 1990s, a handful of states began to fund healthy marriage and relationship (HMR) programs and initiatives intended as a promising new strategy for strengthening families and improving child well-being. The states were soon followed by the federal government, which launched a healthy marriage initiative in 2002. The following questions initially were raised about this new policy development:1. What are the reasons why government should get involved in what is surely a private matter or a matter for individuals, couples and faith-based institutions? Why should marriage and couple…
Brief
Domestic violence advocates and family violence researchers often appear to contradict each other when they describe and report on the extent and nature of intimate partner violence. Although the term "domestic violence" has a very clear specific meaning to advocates working in the domestic violence field, it is used in other ways in other contexts to cover many different types of couple conflict. This paper helps to clarify some of the misunderstandings, errors, and apparent contradictions that derive in part from these differences in language use, in part from not understanding where the…
Brief
There are 4.3 million Native Americans in the United States. They represent 562 different tribes and speak 292 different languages. Yet, they make up only 1.5% of the total U.S. population and are the second smallest ethnic group in the U.S. This Research Brief is designed to offer an overview of the health and socioeconomic status of Native Americans, to describe varying definitions of family across tribes, and to discuss various aspects of historical trauma and how this trauma has affected the overall well-being of most tribes and their family systems. Finally, this brief will discuss what…
Brief
Alcohol abuse affects millions of families either directly or indirectly, and the abuse of legal substances is a prominent concern for public health officials throughout the world (Corroa, et al., 2000; World Health Organization [WHO], 2004; WHO, 1997). According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005), of the 3.8 million persons who received treatment in the U.S. for alcohol or drugs in the past year, more than half (2.4 million) were treated for alcohol abuse. Approximately 55 percent of adults report having had…
Brief
This research brief explores the effects of marital quality on health. It begins by citing research that getting married and being married is linked to many positive physical and mental health outcomes. Reasons for the link between marriage and good health are then explored, including the "selection effect" that occurs when people who are inherently healthier mentally and physically are more likely get married and to stay married; the "protection" effect that asserts that marriage itself changes individual health risk behaviors and encourages behaviors that are more likely to promote and…
Brief
This brief reviews trends in family structure in the United States and implications for children, adults, and society. Data is shared on rates of divorce, nonmarital births, and nonmarital cohabitation. Statistics are cited that indicate the probability of marriages ending in divorce increased more or less continuously until 1990 and then stabilized; between 43% and 46% of current marriages will end in divorce and divorce rates vary by ethnic background; the share of children born outside of marriage has increased substantially, rising from 11% of all births in 1970 to 36% in 2004; and…
Brief
Young adults today live in an American society where social norms include divorce, living together outside of marriage and having children out-of-wedlock. The U.S. divorce rate has decreased slightly and stabilized in recent years, yet divorce remains a significant social issue. Previous research has shown that the implications for children who experience the divorce of their parents include elevated risk for conduct disorders and psychological problems, low self-esteem, a greater likelihood of obtaining a lower level of education and lower status jobs, and greater potential to experience…
